REPORT 

OF 

JOHN  F.WALLACE 

CHAIRMAN 

CHICAGO   RAILWAY  TERMINAL 

COMMISSION 


MARCH 
1921 


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Chicago  Railw^ay  Terminal  Commission 


JOMN     F-.WAUl-ACC 

CM*  I  RMAN 

WALTER    U.FISHER 
BION   -T.  ARNOLD 
EDWARD    M.  BENNETT 


^uFuDER   AUTHOR ITV  OP  CHICAGO  CITVCOUNCIl-l 

I40   North  Dearborn  Street 

CHIC/kGO 

Telephone    State  6352 


E«-0»-FiCtO 

CHARLES    R   FRANCIS 

COMMISSIONER  oe-  PuBt.lC   WORKS 

SAMUELA   ETTEL30N 

COKPOOAT.QN   COUNBEL 

WILLIAM   F.  LIPPS 

CHAIRMAN  Cnv  COUNCIL  COMMITTEE 

ON   RAILWAV  TERMINALS 


EDWARD   O.  NOONAN 


CHICAGOj 

Chicago,  March  16,  1921. 
The  Honorable  William  Hale  Thompson,  Mayor, 
and    Members   of   the  City    Council,    Chicago. 
Gentlemen : 

I  am  transmitting  herewith  a  report  as  Chairman  of  the  Chicago  Railway  Terminal 
Commission. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  Illinois  Central-Lake  Front  Ordinance  it  has  been  apparent 
that  the  next  logical  step  in  the  solution  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Problem  would  be  the 
revamping  of  the  railway  facilities — both  freight  and  passenger — in  the  territory  south  of 
Van  Buren  Street  between  State  Street  and  the  Chicago  River. 

The  great  advantage  that  would  accrue  both  to  the  public  and  the  railroads  in  the 
straightening  of  the  Chicago  River  along  the  tentative  lines  laid  down  in  the  Union  Sta- 
tion and  other  ordinances,  makes  this  one  of  the  most  important  subjects  for  consideration 
in   connection  with  the   treatment  of  railroad  property  adjacent  thereto. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission,  has,  since  its  creation,  endeavored  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  every  opportunity  to  further  the  consideration  of  this  river  straightening  project. 

During  the  past  year  the  engineering  staff  of  the  Commission  has  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  construction  problems  involved  in  river  straightening  and  has  also  prepared 
a  carefully  considered  plan  and  estimate  for  the  revamping  of  the  railroad  facilities  in  con- 
nection with  river  straightening  and  the  intensive  use  of  railroad  property. 

The  accompanying  report  is  divided  into  three  sections.  The  first  section  is  devoted 
to  the  presentation  of  the  question  of  the  reconstruction  of  railroad  facilities  in  connection 
with  river  straightening. 

The  second  section  "marked  Exhibit  I."  is  a  statement  of  the  various  matters  that 
have  received  consideration  by  the  Commission,  and  besides  being  a  record  of  the  activities 
of  the  Commission,  contains  information  of  a  character  believed  worthy  of  preservation  in 
this   form. 

The  third  section  "marked  Exhibit  II."  contains  maps  and  drawings  all  of  which 
were  especially  prepared  in  the  office  of  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission.  The  endeavor 
has  been  made  to  add  to  the  value  of  the  plates  by  textual  comment  preceding  each  plate. 
In  this  form  it  is  believed  that  this  section  will  be  extremely  useful  in  presenting  the  desir- 
al)ility  of  the  improvements  outlined. 

Acknowledgment  is  due  to  the  Members  of  the  Commission  for  their  valued  assist- 
ance and  cordial  co-operation  in  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  Commission,  and  to  Mr. 
Edward  J.  Noonan  who  in  the  capacity  of  chief  engineer,  has  directed  the  study  and  pre- 
paration of  the  plans  contained  herein.  Acknowledgment  is  also  due  the  courtesy  at  all 
times  extended  by  His  Honor  the  Mayor  and  Members  of  the  City  Council,  especially 
Chairman  William  F.  Lipps  and  the  Members  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee 

Respectfully  submitted, 

JOHN  F.  WALLACE, 

Chairman. 


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REPORT 


( 


•OF 


John  F.  Wallace 

CHAIRMAN 

Chicago  Railway  Terminal 
Commission 


SUBMITTED  TO  THE  MAYOR 

AND  CITY  COUNCIL 

MARCH   1921 


BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  CENTRAL  BUSINESS 
DISTRICT 

1 — Chicago  &  North  Western  Station. 
2 — Union   Station. 

3 — Illinois   Central-Lake  Front   Station. 
4 — Grand    Central    Station. 
5 — La    Salle    Street    Station. 
6 — Dearborn   Station. 

7 — East  Line  of  Proposed  Straightened  River. 
8— Proposed  Eighteenth  Street  Connection  to  Illi- 
nois   Central-Lake  Front   Station. 

Note  how  the  bend  in  the  river  restricts  the 
approach  to  the  Central  Business  District  from 
the  south.  With  the  river  straightened  to  the 
line  shown  by  the  figure  7  it  will  be  possible  to 
open  three  additional  streets  into  the  Central 
Business  District  from  the  south. 

Note  also  the  penetration  into  the  Central  Busi- 
ness District  by  the  La  Salle  Street  Station — 
figure  5 — and  the  opportunity  for  the  expansion 
of  the  Central  Business  District  southward  if 
this  station  and  the  Dearborn  Station — figure 
6 — were  eliminated.  The  railroads  using  these 
stations  can  be  accommodated  in  the  new  Illi- 
nois  Central-Lake  Front   Station — figure  3. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 
Number 

Introduction    5 

Necessity  for  Joint  Development 6 

West  Side  De\elopment 6 

Territory  South  of  Loop  Distrist 7 

Roosevelt  Road-Lake  Front  Passenger  Station 8 

Passenger  Terminal    Problem 8 

Suburban   Passenger  Traffic 10 

Freight  Facilities  South  of  Loop  District 10 

River  Straightening  11 

Tentative  Plans  for  Freight  Developments 14 

Estimate  of  Cost 15 

Land  Area  Affected  by  River  Straightening 16 

\'alue  of  Air  Rights  and  Released  Property 18 

Recommendation    20 

EXHIBIT     I.— Activities  of  Commission 

EXHIBIT  II.— Plates - 


REPORT 

OF 


01 

© 

3^ 


John  F.  Wallace 

CHAIRMAN 

Chicago  Railway  Terminal 
Commission 


SUBMITTED  TO  THE   MAYOR   AND    CITY  COUNCIL 
MARCH    1921 


Introduction. 


Railroads     a     C  i  t  y- 
Wide  Problem. 


Railroad  Occupation 
Surrounding  B  u  s  i- 
ness  District. 


The  railway  terminal  problem  in  Chicago  is  very  complex  and  the  solu- 
tion of  this  problem  in  its  entirety  depends  largely  on  the  application  of 
certain  fundamental  principles  which  were  very  thoroughly  discussed  in  the 
Preliminary  Report,  submitted  by  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission,  and 
in  subsequent  reports  on  special  subjects,  which  have  been  submitted  from 
time  to  time  to  the  Committees  of  the  City  Council. 

The  present  net-work  of  railroad  tracks  and  facilities  within  the  Chicago 
terminal  district  has  been  created  by  each  railroad  acting  on  its  own  initi- 
ative, and  for  its  own  interest,  and  usuall}-  with  little  consideration  of  the 
interests  of  other  railroads,  or  of  the  City. 

There  are  no  topographical  conditions  in  Chicago  or  in  the  surrounding 
country  that  would  serve  to  concentrate  the  lines  of  railroads  approaching 
Chicago  within  narrow  confines  and  as  a  result  the  lines  of  railroad  approach 
the   City   from   all   directions   except   the   side  occupied   by    Lake    Michigan. 

The  result  has  been  that  there  are  railroad  problems  in  all  sections  of  the 
City  and  these  problems  increase  in  intensity  as  one  approaches  the  center 
of  the  City  where  all  of  these  lines  converge  and  have  their  terminal  facilities. 

It  is  this  condition  of  the  concentration  of  railroad  occupation  within  a 
short  distance  from  the  congested  business  district  of  the  City,  and  the  con- 
sequent large  real  estate  holdings  of  the  railroads  almost  completely  sur- 
rounding the  business  center  of  the  City,  that  has  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  City  and  the  public  at  large  the  necessity  of  applying  a  solution  to  the 
railroad  terminal  problem  of  Chicago,  that  would  result  in  permitting  a  freer 
flow  of  traffic  through  these  railroad  territories  and  avoid  the  necessitv  of 
future  additions  to  this  railroad  territory. 

5 


^ 


495325 


Concentration  of  Rail-  A  circle  with  a  radius  of  ten  miles,  with  its  center  at  State  and  Madison 

road   Lines   as   Husi-      Streets  would  intersect  Lake  Michigan  on   the  north,  a   little  north   of  the 

„      ^   J  northern  city  limits ;  pass  within  the  city  limits  at  the  northwestern  corner 

Reached.  .  >  i  -  . 

and  fall  four  or  five  miles  within  the  city  hmits  on  the  south.  This  circle 
would  intersect  twentj'-three  diiTerent  and  distinct  lines  of  railroad  and  these 
intersections  would  be  almost  evenly  distributed  along  the  entire  length 
of  the  circle. 

If  a  circle  with  a  radius  of  five  miles  be  drawn  with  the  same  center,  it 
will  intersect  fourteen  dififerent  and  distinct  lines  of  railroad. 

In  other  words,  between  the  ten  mile  circle  and  the  five  mile  circle, 
railroads  have  grouped  themselves  together  so  that  while  there  are  twenty- 
three  lines  intersecting  the  ten  mile  circle  only  fourteen  lines  intersect  the 
five  mile  circle,  although  these  fourteen  lines  include  all  of  the  twent}'-three 
lines  intersected  by  the  ten  mile  circle. 

If  a  circle  with  a  radius  of  two  miles  be  drawn  from  this  same  center  it 
will  intersect  but  seven  lines  of  railroad,  showing  that  through  the  process 
of  consolidation  the  lines  of  railroads  have  been  naturally  drawn  together,  to 
the  extent  that  the  number  of  routes  has  been  again  divided  by  two. 

More  Than  One  Rail-  This  illustrates   very  clearly  how  the  lines  of  railroad  have  been  con- 

road  Involved  in  solidated  as  they  approach  the  central  business  district  and  how  any  problem 
ac       ro    em.  arising  on  one  of  these  routes,  particularly  as  you   approach   the   business 

center,  must  be  solved  by  more  than  one  railroad,  and  in  effect  solved  by  all 

of  the  railroads  collected  in  this  route. 

This  consolidation  in  entrance  routes  has  resulted  in  the  grouping  of 
railroads  in  the  territory  immediately  surrounding  the  business  district  on 
the  north,  west,  and  south  sides  of  the  rectangle  which  includes  the  central 
business  district. 

Necessity    for    Joint  Since    all    of   the    railroad    facilities    in    each    of    these    several    districts 

Development.  referred  to  are  contiguous  one  to  the  other  it  is  impossible  to  apply  any 

specific  treatment  or  development  to  one  railroad  property  without  affecting 
the  railroad  property  contiguous  thereto,  and  therefore,  it  becomes  a  practical 
necessity  for  the  railroads  having  their  facilities  in  each  of  these  several 
groups  to  work  cooperatively  on  any  plans  for  railroad  development. 

This  is  particularly  true  where  a  rearrangement  of  grades  is  necessary 
and  it  is  a  fact  that  no  large  improvement  in  the  railroad  property  adjacent 
to  the  central  business  district  can  be  made  without  changes  in  grade. 

West  Side  Union  Sta-  The  City  has  had  a  practical  example  in  the  West   Side  Union  Station 

tion    Project      an  development   of  what  can  be   accomplished   in    tlie   working  out   of   railroad 
Example  of  Joint  De-  ,  ,  i  n     r  .1  i         i     •  1    <         It 

I  .  problems  when  all  of  the  railroads  in  one  group  work  together. 

Here  all  of  the  railroads  entering  the  Union  Station  from  the  south  had 
freight  and  team  tracks  located  in  the  territory  between  the  Chicago  River 
and  Canal  Street,  and  extending  from  Roosevelt  Road  to  Madison  .Street. 

6 


In  order  to  develop  a  Union  Station  site  of  sufiicient  capacity,  it  was 
necessary  to  occupy  with  the  station  site,  territory  already  occupied  by  the 
freight  facilities  of  the  railroads  using  this  station. 

Working  together  because  of  a  community  of  interests,  these  railroads 
were  able  to  evolve  a  plan  which  gives  them  modern,  adequate  freight  facili- 
ties and  at  the  same  time  not  only  opens  up  every  east  and  west  street  into 
the  Loop  District,  but  also  provides  additional  driveway  spaces,  independent 
of  the  City  streets  for  the  accommodation  of  the  vehicular  traffic  in  con- 
nection with  freight  facilities. 


Present  Railroad  Oc- 
cupation South  of 
Loop  District  a  Bar- 
rier Against  Expan- 
sion. 


On  the  south  side  of  the  rectangle  enclosing  the  "Loop  District"  are 
grouped  the  terminal  facilities  of  fourteen  railroads  and  the  existence  of  the 
large  area  of  railroad  property  in  this  district  in  its  present  state  of  develop- 
ment is  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  free  flow  of  traffic  to  and  from  the  central 
business  district  and  is  retarding  the  natural  expansion  of  the  business 
district  to  the  south. 

Plans  for  the  proper  development  of  this  territory  should  be  worked  out 
by  the  railroads  in  consultation  and  cooperation  with  each  other  and  with 
the  City,  but  the  railroads  will  not  seriously  undertake  the  working  out  of 
such  plans  until  a  community  of  interest  is  created  at  least  for  the  roads 
strong  financially. 


Necessity  for  Co-op- 
eration. 


The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  has  pointed  out  repeatedly  to  the 
representatives  of  railroads  having  their  facilities  in  this  southern  district  the 
necessity  for  cooperative  effort  in  the  solution  of  their  problems  and  has 
pointed  out  the  requirements  of  the  city  and  emphasized  the  advantages  that 
would  accrue  to  the  railroads  in  a  rearrangement  and  more  intensive  use 
of  railroad  property. 


Passenger  Stations — 
Possibility  of  Elim- 
ination of  Certain 
Stations. 


Within  this  southern  district  in  addition  to  frciglit  facilities  are  located 
three  passenger  terminals,  the  Dearborn  Station,  the  LaSalle  Street  Station 
and  the  Grand  Central  Station. 

In  the  Preliminary  Report  of  the  Commission  as  well  as  in  the  reports 
furnished  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  by  Mr.  Wallace  and  by  Mr. 
Arnold,  it  was  shown  that  there  was  available  in  the  property  owned  by  the 
Illinois  Central  on  the  Lake  Front,  a  station  site  of  sufficient  size  to  accom- 
modate not  only  the  traffic  of  the  present  Illinois  Central  Station  but  also 
the  traff.c  at  present  using  the  Dearborn,  LaSalle  Street,  and  Grand  Central 
Stations. 

It  was  shown  that  this  location  would  make  possible  a  large  station 
development  without  in  any  way  imposing  a  barrier  to  the  flow  of  street 
traffic  from  the  soutli  or  interfering  with  the  dexeiopmcnt  of  the  central 
business  district  in  a  southerly  direction. 

7 


The    Roosevelt    Road  In  July,  1919,  the  City  Council  passed  the  so-called  Illinois  Central-Lake 

Lake    Front    Passen-      pront  Ordinance  and  this  ordinance  has  been  accepted  by  the  Illinois  Central 

ger  Station— Its  Ad-      j^.ji]road   and    other    railroads    party    to    it,   and    by    the    South    Park    Corn- 
vantages  as  a  Station 
for  Tenant  Com-      missioners. 

panies.  The  ordinance  provides  for  the  construction  of  a  passenger  station  front- 

ing on  Roosevelt  Road,  east  of  Michigan  Avenue.  The  ordinance  contains 
ample  provisions  for  the  protection  of  railroads  that  might  become  tenants  to 
this  station  and  it  would  undoubtedly  be  to  the  best  interests  of  the  City  if  all 
of  the  railroads  now  having  their  passenger  terminals  in  the  territory  between 
State  Street  and  the  Chicago  River  would  make  the  station  provided  in  this 
ordinance  the  terminal  for  their  through  passenger  trains. 

It  is  also  believed  that  the  best  interests  of  the  railroads  would  also  be 
served  by  removing  to  this  station.  In  this  location  there  is  ample  space  for 
the  development  of  a  passenger  terminal  sufificient  to  take  care  of  the  im- 
mediate and  future  requirements  of  the  through  passenger  traffic  of  the 
railroads  now  using  the  present  passenger  terminals  between  State  Street 
and  the  Chicago  River. 

In  no  location  adjacent  to  the  central  business  district  can  there  be 
provided  coach  yards,  engine  terminals,  and  other  necessary  facilities  as  con- 
venient to  the  passenger  terminal,  and  in  no  other  location  can  these  facilities 
be  provided,  with  as  small  a  capital  expenditure. 

Through  the  widened  Canal  Street;  the  Roosevelt  Road  improvement; 
the  new  Michigan  Avenue  extension ;  and  the  new  driveway  to  be  constructed 
in  connection  with  the  Lake  Front  Improvement;  the  location  provided  in 
this  ordinance  is  readily  accessible  for  vehicular  traffic  from  all  sections  of 
the  city  without  encountering  the  congestion  in  the  central  business  district. 

Provision  is  made  in  the  ordinance  for  the  extension  of  the  Roosevelt 
Road  street  car  line  to  the  station  site,  and  for  pedestrian  passageways  con- 
necting with  future  rapid  transit  lines. 

Adequate  railroad  entrance  routes  are  provided  convenient  for  all  of  the 
railroads  now  using  the  Dearborn,  LaSalle  Street  and  Grand  Central  Stations 
to  reach  the  station  location  provided  in  the  ordinance,  and  there  is  an 
opportunity  for  the  consolidation  of  entrance  routes  that  would  make  possible 
a  reduction  of  passenger  train  mileage  and  operating  expenses. 

It  should  tlierefore  be  the  policy  of  the  city  to  encourage  the  removal  of 
the  passenger  terminals  of  the  railroads  now  occupying  the  Dearborn,  LaSalle 
Street,  and  Grand  Central  Stations  to  the  Roosevelt  Road  Lake  Front  Station. 

The    Passenger   Ter-  It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  Dearborn,   LaSalle   Street  and   Grand 

minal  Problem  in  the      Central  Stations  are   at  present  inadequate   or   have   objectionable   features. 
Territory    South     of     ^^^^   ^^^^^  ^j^^  ^-^^^  j^   rapidly   approaching   when   the   railroads   using   these 
stations  will   have   to  give  serious  consideration   to   the   providing  of   more 
ample  and  modern  passenger  terminal  facilities. 

It  mav  be  that  some  of  the  railroads  using  these  stations,  particularly  the 
stronger   roads,   will   be   adverse  to   becoming    tenants    in    the   Roosevelt    Road 

8 


the    "Loop    District." 


Lake  Front  Station  and  will  want  to  develop  a  passenger  terminal  in  the 
territory  between  State  Street  and  the  Chicago  River. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  character  of  railroad  development 
immediately  south  of  the  central  business  section  of  the  City  is  retarding  the 
natural  growth  of  this  district  southward. 

It  is  also  generally  conceded  that  the  real  estate  value,  at  least  of  certain 
of  these  railroad  holdings,  is  too  great  to  justify  the  continued  use  of  this 
property  for  exclusively  railroad  purposes.  It  is  also  true  that  there  is  not 
sufficient  number  of  streets  leading  into  the  Loop  District  from  the  south. 


Physical  Require- 
ments  which  a  Sta- 
tion in  This  Territory 
Must  Meet. 


Any  future  railroad  development  in  this  territory,  therefore,  should 
provide  for: 

First — The  withdrawal,  at  least  in  part,  of  railroad  penetration 
into  the  central  business  district. 

Second — A   character   of  development  that   would   permit  joint 
railroad  and  commercial  use  of  property. 

Third — The  opening  of  additional   street  arteries   between   the 
Loop  District  and  the  south  side. 

A  study  of  the  map  of  the  territory  immediately  south  of  the  central 
business  district  indicates  that  it  will  be  extremely  difficult  to  design  a  large 
passenger  terminal  in  this  district  that  would  fulfill  the  three  requirements 
given  above. 

Coach  yards  and  engine  terminals  adjacent  to  such  a  station  would 
require  the  use  of  land  extremely  more  valuable  for  other  purposes  and  if 
these  coach  yards  and  engine  terminals  are  not  located  convenient  to  a  new 
station  it  will  require  the  continuation  of  the  present  practice  of  having  the 
coach  vards  and  engine  terminals  located  from  five  to  seven  miles  distant 
from  the  station,  with  the  consequent  excessive  dead  mileage  of  motive 
power  and  passenger  equipment  and  on  account  of  noise,  smoke  and  cinders, 
it  is  desirable  to  remove  all  unnecessary  train  movement. 


Electrification.  Furthermore,  judging  from  past  expressions  of  the  City  Council  and  the 

sentiment  of  the  public  at  large  it  is  evident  that  no  comprehensive  railroad 
development  in  the  territory  immediately  south  of  the  central  business  district 
will  be  countenanced  unless  such  improvement  carries  with  it  operation  of 
trains  by  motive  power  that  will  eliminate  smoke,  and  in  the  present  stage  of 
the  art  this  means  electrical  operation. 

To  provide  for  electrical  operation  of  passenger  trains  into  a  terminal 
immediately  south  of  the  Loop  District  would  require  the  electrification  of 
the  lines  of  railroad  leading  to  this  station  and  this  would  mean  a  capital 
expenditure,  which  added  to  the  cost  of  exclusive  use  of  expensive  real  estate 
would  show  that  the  proposition  was  unsound  from  an  economic  standpoint, 
especially  when  the  opportunity  is  available  for  utilization  of  another  site 
where  these  large  capital  expenditures  would  not  be  required. 

9 


River. 


ON  THE  EAST  SIDE. 

*Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal    1,100  feet 

Chicago  Rock  Island  &  Pacific   1.490  feet 

C.  R.  I.  &  P.  aiid  N.  Y.  Central,  jointly 2,170  feet 

The  railroads  marked  *  have  accepted  ordinances  providing 
for  cooperation  in  river  straightening.  These  railroads  own  a 
frontage  of  4,790  feet  or  fifty  per  cent  of  the  total. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  agreements  have  been  secured  for  the  cooper- 
ation in  river  straightening  from  railroads  representing  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
river  frontage. 

The  New  York  Central  and  the  Rock  Island,  which  represent  togethei 
thirty-eight  per  cent  of  the  river  frontage,  would  be  directly  benefited  by 
river  straightening. 


Transfer  of  Property  After  the  river  is  straightened  along  the  lines  provided  for,  the  Pennsyl- 

nest  to  East  bide  or  y^nia  Railroad  Company  will  have  no  property  on  the  east  side  of  the  river: 
the  amount  of  property  that  would  be  transferred  from  the  west  to  the  east 
side  of  the  river  belonging  to  the  Burlington  is  very  small,  so  that  these  two 
railroads   are   not   materially   aflfected   by    the    river    straightening  program. 

A  large  portion  of  the  holdings  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chicago 
Terminal  Railroad  would  be  transferred  from  the  west  to  the  east  side  of  the 
River.  The  same  is  true  regarding  the  holdings  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad. 

It  is  evident  that  railroad  property  transferred  from  the  west  side  to 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  would  be  directly  benefited  by  river  straightening. 

It  can  be  shown  that  this  benefit  is  more  than  sufticient  to  oiYset  the 
expenditure  necessary  to  actually  construct  the  new  channel,  fill  in  the  old 
channel,  and  make  the  necessary  changes  in  bridges. 


Readjustment  of  Land  One  of  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  accomplishment  of  this  improve- 

'''"**•  ment  is  the  fact  that  after  river  straightening,  the  property-  transferred  from 

the  west  side  to  the  east  side  of  the  river — as  well  as  the  old  bed  of  the  river — 
would  have  to  be  resubdivided  or  an  adjustment  made  in  property  lines 
before  the  full  benefit  of  the  improvement  could  be  realized.  The  effort  has 
therefore  been  made  to  secure  a  cooperative  action  between  the  interested 
railroad  companies  that  would  make  possible  either  this  adjustment  or  a 
cooperative  development  of  terminal  facilities  in  the  areas  alTected  b\'  river 
straightening. 

To  make  such  a  thing  possible  it  would  be  necessary  for  the  interested 
railroads  to  work  out  a  plan  of  development  that  would  be  satisfactory  to  all 
and  while  the  railroads  have  shown  a  willingness  to  give  consideration  to  the 
subject,  no  plans  have  so  far  been  submitted  to  the  Commission  by  the 
railroads. 

12 


Railroads    Agreed   to 
Study. 


Shortly  before  our  countr\-  entered  into  the  war  the  Railway  Terminal 
Commission  secured  from  officials  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Com- 
pany, the  Chicago  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and  of  the  New 
York  Central  Lines,  a  promise  of  the  appointment  of  a  board  of  engineers  to 
make  a  study  and  report  on  the  joint  use  of  this  property  after  river  straight- 
ening, or  for  a  cooperative  construction  program. 

At  the  same  time  officials  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Com- 
pany stated  in  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  that  their 
Company  would  not  oppose  river  straightening  if  the  plan  adopted  provided 
for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  receiving  proper  con- 
sideration for  its  rights  and  equities. 

During  the  period  of  Government  control  of  the  railroads,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  advance  the  consideration  of  the  river  straightening  project  among 
railroad  officials. 

During  the  period  that  has  elapsed  since  Government  control  has  ter- 
minated, railroad  officials  have  been  so  occupied  with  immediate  railroad 
problems  that  it  has  not  been  possible  to  secure  a  serious  consideration  of  the 
river  straightening  project. 

All  past  consideration  given  to  the  river  straightening  project  by  the 
Railway  Terminal  Commission  has  been  based  on  the  theory  that  it  should 
be  possible  to  bring  about  a  cooperative  action  on  the  part  of  the  railroads 
affected  by  river  straightening  which  would  result  in  the  working  out  of 
plans  for  the  readjustment  of  propert}'  lines  and  a  construction  program 
based  thereon,  or  a  cooperative  development  that  could  be  used  jointly  by 
these  railroads. 


The  Straightening  of 
the  River  and  a 
Proper  Railroad  De- 
velopment South  of 
the  Loop  District  the 
Next  Step  in  the 
Solution  of  the  Ter- 
minal Problem. 


In  the  passage  of  tlie  Illinois  Central  Lake  Front  Ordinance,  the  second 
great  step  in  the  solution  of  the  railroad  terminal  problem  as  aflfecting  the 
central  business  district  was  accomplished. 

There  now  remains  one  more  step  and  that  is  the  working  out  of  a 
proper  railroad  development  in  the  territory  between  State  Street  and  the 
Chicago  River  south  of  the  Loop  District. 

It  is  believed  that  the  time  is  now  at  hand  when  the  city  should  take 
every  action  possible  to  bring  about  the  straightening  of  the  river  and  the 
working  out  of  plans  for  the  revamping  of  the  railroad  property  adjacent 
thereto. 


Legal    Questions    In- 
volved. 


With  this  in  mind  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission  at  a  recent  meeting 
of  the  City  Council  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  suggested  that  the 
Committee  secure  from  the  Corporation  Counsel  advice  on  the  following 
legal  questions  involved  in  river  straightening: 

In  whom  would  the  title  to  the  bed  of  the  old  channel  rest? 

Can  the  city  through  its  Board  of  Local  Improvements  open  streets 
through    the    territory    affected    by    river    straightening    and    force    the 
straightening  of  the  river  in  order  to  avoid  a  number  of  stream  crossings? 
13 


Necessity  for  City 
Initiating  Improve- 
ment. 


Plans  by  Commision 
Made  Only  for  De- 
veloping Informa- 
tion. 


New  Street  Opening 
and  Railroad  Prop- 
erty Released — Com- 
mercial Development. 


What  necessary  lecfal  steps  must  the  city  take  in  order  to  initiate  a 
program  of  river  straightening? 

What  State  Legislation — if  any — is  necessary  to  empower  the  city 
to  proceed  with  this  improvement? 

What   will    be   the    relationship    of    the    Sanitary    District    to    river 
straightening? 

The  best  interest  of  both  the  City  and  of  the  railroads  will  be  served  if 
the  railroads  in  cooperation  with  the  City  will  work  out  a  plan  for  the  im- 
provement and  rearrangement  of  the  railway  terminals  in  connection  with 
river  straightening  that  will  give  the  Cit}-  the  additional  streets  required 
and  give  the  railroads  the  improvements  and  additional  facilities  which  they 
require. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  in  order  to  bring  this  about  it  will  be  necessary 
for  the  City  to  be  in  position  to  serve  notice  on  the  railroads  that  it  is  pro- 
ceeding to  an  active  consideration  of  the  river  straightening  project  and  its 
intention,  either  with  or  without  the  cooperation  of  the  railroads,  to  bring 
about  this  necessary  improvement. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  has  given  extended  consideration  to 
the  engineering  features  involved  in  the  river  straightening  project  and  is 
prepared  to  promptly  analyze  any  plan  for  railroad  development  in  connection 
with  river  straightening  that  is  submitted  by  railroad  companies. 

The  Commission  has  always  held  the  position  that  any  plans  for  the 
improvement  of  railroad  facilities  in  this  territory  should  originate  with  the 
railroads  and  not  with  the  Commission. 

During  the  past  year,  however,  in  order  to  form  some  ideas  as  to  the 
probable  cost  of  such  an  improvement,  the  land  area  that  would  be  necessarv, 
the  streets  that  it  would  be  possible  to  open,  and  other  matters,  the  Commis- 
sion prepared  tentative  plans  for  the  development  of  the  railroad  property 
in  connection  with  river  straightening,  based  on  the  assumption  that  the 
passenger  stations  could  be  eliminated. 

These  plans  indicate  that  the  best  results  would  be  obtained  if  the  rail- 
road occupation  was  confined  to  the  territory  bounded  on  the  east  bv  Clark 
.Street,  south  of  Taylor  Street ;  and  by  Wells  Street  between  Harrison  and 
Ta_\  lor  Street. 

Under  this  plan  the  railroad  tracks  would  be  depressed  to  an  elevation 
of  about  plus  five  which  would  enable  viaducts  to  be  put  through  the  territory 
at  an  elevation  of  about  plus  twenty-six. 

Plate  No.  17  shows  such  a  contemplated  development  on  which  the  rail- 
road property  that  would  be  released  for  commercial  purposes  is  colored 
yellow  and  the  new  streets  that  would  be  opened  are  shown  colored  in  red. 
This  plate  shows  the  relationshij)  of  this  development  to  the  central  business 
district.  Plate  No.  17  shows  the  same  development  on  a  larger  scale  in  order 
to  bring  out  the  relationship  of  this  development  to  e.xisting  railroad  facilities 
in  lliis  territory. 

14 


It  will  be  noticed  that  this  plan  pro\ides  for  three  additional  streets 
between  Clark  Street  and  the  River  and  also  provides  for  the  opening  up  as 
a  continuous  thoroughfare  of  Dearborn  Street^from  Polk  Street  south. 

It  is  possible  in  a  plan  such  as  outlined  to  give  the  railroads  freight 
facilities  of  a  car  standing  capacit>-  of  double  the  existing  facilities  in  this 
territory  and  to  work  this  out  in  a  way  that  would  enable  the  railroads  to 
utilize  the  air  space  above  their  freight  facilities  for  commercial  purposes. 
Such  a  development  is  shown  outlined  on  Plates  Nos.  19,  20  and  21,  Plate 
No.  19  showing  the  development  at  the  track  level  and  Plate  No.  21  showing 
the  development  at  the  viaduct  le\el. 

The  tvpical  cross  section  on  Plate  No.  20  shows  how  the  air  rights  above 
the  railroad  facilities  could  be  developed  for  commercial  jjurposes  in  a  manner 
that  would  not  interfere  with  the  railroad  occupation. 

This  tentative  plan  (Plate  No.  19)  shows  the  suburban  tracks  occupying 
the  under  level  of  Clark  Street  south  of  Taylor  Street,  thence  extending 
through  railroad  property  to  a  possible  suburban  station  located  at  Van  Buren 
Street  at  the  present  site  of  the  LaSalle  Street  Station. 

Estimated  Cost.  The  estimated  costs  of  the  improvements  such  as  shown  on  this  plan, 

based  on  1920  prices,  are  as  follows : 

Straightening  of  the  Chicago  River  including  building  ] 
of  permanent  dock  walls  ;  the  moving  of  the  Roosevelt  Road  , 
and  the  St.  Charles  Air  Line  bridges ;  temporary  construc- 
tion :  track  alterations,  etc $  3,000,000.00 

Viaducts  and  ramps  for  new  streets  opened  through 
the  district  including  adjustment  with  the  Roosevelt  Road 
viaduct    $17,000,000.00 

Railroad  facilities  including  removal  of  old  structures ; 
excavation  ;  track  work  ;  changes  to  St.  Charles  Air  Line  and 
connections ;  building  freight  houses ;  thoroughfare  sub- 
urban tracks  and  station   $23,000,000.00 

To  construct  a  ten  story  commercial  development  oxer 
the  railroad  freight  houses  shown  on  Plate  No.  20  would 
provide  about  twenty  million  s(|uare  feet  of  rental  space  and 
would  cost  about   .  .' $95,000,000.00 


15 


Land    Areas   Affected  The  following  figures  sliow  the  areas  affected  by  the  river  straightening 

by    River   Straighten-      .^^^j  ^j^^  revamping  of  railroad  facilities  in  connection  therewith: 


inij 


The  straightening  of  the  Chicago  River  channel  along  tlie  line  pro- 
vided in  the  Union  Station  and  other  ordinances  will  extend  from  Polk 
Street  to  Sixteenth  Street. 

Between  I'olk  Street  and  Taylor  Street  there  would  he  Init  a  small 
change. 

Between  Taylor  and  Sixteenth  Street  after  river 
straightening  there  wtjuld  he  an  area  between  the  east 
line  of  the  straightened  river  channel,  and  the  west  line  of 
Clark  Street  of 3,562,300  Sq.  Ft. 

The  present  area  between  Taylor  Street  and  Six- 
teenth Street  and  between  the  east  bank  of  the  present 
river  channel,  and  the  wes't  line  of  Clark  Street  is 1,638,500  Sq.  Ft. 

.Ml  of  the  property  abutting  on  that  portion  of  the 
river  proposed  to  be  straightened  is  owned  by  railroads. 
Therefore,  by  the  river  straightening  there  would  be 
added  to  railroad  property  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  the 
difference  between  the  two  figures  given  above,  or 1.923.800  Sq.  Ft. 

This  gain  is  made  up  hum  the  following  sources: 

B.  &  O.  C.  T.  property  transferred  from 

west  to  east  side  of  river 611,800  Sq.  Ft. 

C.  &  N.  W.  ditto 428,500  Sq.  Ft. 

Armour  Slip 22,500  Sq.  Ft. 

C.  B.  &  Q 72,000  Sq.  Ft. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  and  C.  &  X.  W.   (Air  Line 

R.  of  W.) 1,800  Sq.  Ft. 

Old  river  channel 787,200  Sq.  Ft. 


1.923,800  Sq.  Ft. 

The  straightened  river  channel  between  Polk  Street 
and  Sixteenth  Street  would  occupy  an  area  of 842,300  Sq.  Ft. 

This  area  would  be  obtained  from  the  following  sources: 

LAND  AREA. 

Penna.  Co 83,000  Sq.  Ft. 

B.  &  O.  C.  T 397.800  Sq.  Ft. 

C.  &  N.  W 70,500  Sq.  Ft. 

C.  B.  &  Q 38,200  .Sq.  Ft. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  and  C.  &  X.  \V.  (Air   Fine 

R.  of  W.) 7,200  Sq.  Ft. 


616,700  Sq.  Ft. 

WATER  AREA. 

Armour  Slip  9,700  Sq.  Ft. 

Union  Slip    22.200  Sq.  Ft. 

Old  river  channel 193,700  Sq.  Ft. 


225,600  Sq.  Ft.        842,300  Sq.  Ft. 


16 


NET  GAIN  IN  LAND  AREA. 

Present  area  river  channel— Pulk  to  Sixteentli  St 981,000  Sq.  Ft. 

Present  area  Armour  Slip   .^2,000  Sq.  Ft. 

Present  area  Union  Slip    22,200  Sq.  Ft. 


1.035,400  Sq.  Ft. 
Area  of  proposed  channel 842,300  Sq.  Ft. 


GAIN  IN  LAND  AREA  193,100  Sq.  Ft. 

PRESENT  AREA  EAST  OF  THE  RIVER  OCCUPIED  BY  RAILROAD: 

BY  FREIGHT  FACILITIES. 

West  of  Clark  Street 2,030,300  Sq.  Ft. 

East  of  Clark  Street  l,r)09.500  Sq.  Ft. 


3,639,800  Sq.  Ft. 


BY  PASSENGER  FACILITIES. 
West  of  Clark : 

East  of  Wells  575,700  Sq.  Ft. 

West  of  W^ells 265,200  Sq.  Ft. 


840,900  Sq.  Ft. 
East  of  Clark 524,700  Sq.  Ft.     1,365,600  Sq.  Ft. 


TOTAL   5,005,400  Sq.  Ft. 

By  straightening  the  river,  eliminating  passenger 
stations,  and  confining  the  freight  development  to  the 
territory  bounded  on  the  north  by  Harrison  Street, 
west  of  Wells  Street,  and  by  Taylor  Street  east  of 
Wells  Street,  and  on  the  east  by  Clark  Street,  there 
would  be  released  from  railroad  occupation  the  follow- 
ing areas,  to  wit : 

AREA  OCCUPIED   BY   FREIGHT  FACILITIES: 

East  of  Clark  Street  1 ,609,500  Sq.  Ft. 

West  of  Clark  and  North  of  Ta\  lor.  .  .    338,200  Sq.  Ft. 


1,947,700  Sq.  Ft. 


AREA  OCCUPIED  BY  PASSENGER  FACILITIES; 


East  of  Clark  Street 524,700  Sq.  Ft. 

West  of  Clark  and  East  of  Wells 575.700  Sq.  Ft.     1,090,400  Sq.  Ft. 


TOTAL    3,038,100  Sq.  Ft. 

NOTE:    Area  released  from  freight  occupation,  \  iz.  ...  1,947,700  Sq.  Ft. 
Substantially    equals    area    transferred    from    west 

side  to  east  side  of  river,  viz 1,938,800  Sq.  Ft. 


17 


Release  of  Property 
Will  Not  Decrease 
Available  Area. 


Not  Feasible  to  Build 
Two  Level  Develop- 
ment Adjacent  to 
State  Street. 


As  luited  on  the  previous  pa^e.  even  with  the  release  of  the  property 
indicated  tlicre  would  still  be  available  for  freight  development  an  area  equal 
to  the  area  now  occupied  by  freight  facilities. 

Studies  made  in  this  office  indicate  that  under  a  two  level  development 
double  the  capacity  can  be  obtained  over  what  is  possible  under  the  single 
level  development. 

The  present  freight  facilities  of  the  railroads  can  only  be  increased  in 
capacity  by  resorting  to  a  double  level  development.  A  double  level  develop- 
ment of  the  property  at  present  occupied  by  the  railroads  between  Clark 
Street  and  State  Street  would  be  found  to  be  expensive  because  such  a  de- 
velopment would  involve  the  raising  of  the  level  of  State  Street  with  the 
consequent  property  damage  along  the  east  side  of  State  Street  and  along 
each  of  the  streets  intersecting  State  Street  from  the  east  in  which  ramps 
would  have  to  be  constructed  to  connect  with  the  raised  level  of  State  Street. 

This  same  condition  would  be  met  with  on  the  north  where,  if  the 
entire  railroad  area  between  Clark  Street  and  State  Street  were  developed 
on  a  two  level  plan,  the  ramps  connecting  with  the  upper  level  would  have 
to  be  constructed  across  property  not  owned  b\-  the  railroads,  and  on  much 
of  which  there  are  expensive  improvements. 

These  extra  items  of  expense  it  is  believed  would  be  considerably  more 
than  the  actual  expense  of  straightening  the  river. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  river  is  straightened  and  the  two-level  develop- 
ment is  made  between  Clark  Street  and  the  river,  and  does  not  extend  farther 
north  than  Taylor  Street  between  Clark  Street  and  Wells  Street,  all  of  the 
connecting  ramps  would  occur  opposite  property  now  owned  by  the  rail- 
roads, and  there  would  be  available  for  the  development  the  same  area  as  is 
now  used  by  the  railroads  for  freight  facilities. 


Value  of  Released 
Property  and  Air 
Rights. 


It  has  been  previously  shown  that  by  straightening  the  river,  eliminating 
passenger  stations,  and  confining  the  freight  development  to  the  territory 
bounded  on  the  north  by  Harrison  Street  west  of  Wells  Street  and  by  Taylor 
Street  east  of  Wells  Street,  and  on  the  east  by  Clark  Street,  there  would 
be  released  from  railroad  occupation  an  area  of  about  3,000,000  scpiare  feet. 

If  this  property  has  an  average  value  of  $20  per  square  foot — and  this 
would  seem  to  be  a  conservative  estimate — this  would  represent  a  total  of 
?60,000,000. 

In  addition  to  this  it  is  possible  to  design  the  freight  facilities  west  of 
Clark  Street  so  that  the  area  over  the  freight  houses  would  be  available  for 
commercial  occupation,  and  have  access  to  the  public  streets  constructed 
through  the  territory  independent  of  the  streets  used  for  access  to  the  rail- 
road freight  houses. 

Such  a  development  would  make  possible  the  railroads  selling  air  rights 
for  commercial  development  on  an  area  of  about  2,500,000  square  feet. 

If  these  air  rights  have  a  value  of  $10.00  per  square  foot  this  would 
represent  $25,000,000. 

18 


It  is  therefore  seen  that  by  straightening  the   river 


channel,  by  proper  planning  of  railroad  (le\  elopnient,  and  the  elimination 
of  passenger  stations,  it  would  be  possible  for  the  railroads  to  provi  le  them- 
selves with  double  the  present  capacity  of  their  freight  facilities,  occupy 
substantially  the  same  amount  of  land  as  they  now  occupy,  and  have  in 
addition  an  investment  of  $85,000,000  from  which  revenue  can  be  obtained. 

The  return  for  these  air  rights  or  the  interest  derived  therefrom  should 
be  sufficient  to  offset  or  finance  the  $23,000,000  which  would  be  required 
to  provide  the  railroad  facilities  as  shown  by  the  estimate  on  page  fifteen, 
and  this  estimate  includes  the  cost  of  foundations  sufficient  to  carry  a 
ten  story  structure  over  the  freight  houses  of  the  railroads. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  cost  to  complete  ten  story  buildings  over 
all  of  the  area  would  be  aljout  $95,000,000.  These  buildings,  however,  would 
only  be  constructed  as  the  demands  for  this  kind  of  space  developed,  and  it 
can  be  readily  shown  that  the  income  that  could  be  derived  from  this  space 
would  be  more  than  sufficient  to  justify  the  expenditure.  This  portion  of  the 
improvement  could  therefore  be  expected  to  finance  itself. 

The  necessary  expenditure  for  the  initial  development  would  there- 
fore be  : 

For  River  Straightening   $  3,000,000 

For  Viaducts  and  Approaches    17,000,000 

For  Railroad  Facilities   23,000,000 

TOT.\L  $43,000,000 

It  has  been  >ho\\  n  that  the  lull  development  of  the  air  rights  would 
_\ield  an  income  return  sufficient  to  offset  the  cost  of  the  freight  facilities, 
so  that  this  entire  improvement  could  be  brought  about  by  the  net  expen- 
diture of  $20,000,000.  Offsetting  this  net  expenditure  would  be  the  value  of 
the  lands  released  from  railroad  occupation  which  has  been  conservatively 
placed  at  $60,000,000,  so  that  even  if  the  entire  cost  of  river  straightening 
and  the  constructing  of  viaducts  were  borne  by  the  railroads,  the  full  de- 
velopment would  still  show  a  credit  of  $40,000,000. 

The  foregoing  is  based  on  the  participation  of  all  railroads  occupxing 
this  territory  in  the  scheme  and  the  co-operati\e  use  of  these  facilities. 

While  it  has  been  necessary  to  suggest  tentative  plans  for  this  territory' 
in  order  to  arrive  at  estimates  of  the  cost,  any  plan  for  the  intensive  de- 
velopment along  the  fundamental  lines  indicated  therein  will  cost  the  approxi- 
mate amount  given  in  this  report. 

In  view,  therefore,  of  the  benefits  that  Wduld  accrue  to  both  the  city 
and  the  railroads  from  this  improvement  and  the  possibilit}'  of  assisting 
the  financing  through  the  income  available  from  the  development  of  air  rights, 
it  would  seem  that  this  improvement  is  justified  and  that  every  effort  should 
Ije  made  to  bring  about  its  accomplishment 

19 


It  is  leconinieiuled  lluit  llie  lej^al  questions  heretofore  referred  be  de- 
cided as  ]irom]3tly  as  possible  and  proper  leg^islatioii,  if  any,  be  secured  to 
empower  the  city  with  the  rif;hts  to  straighten  the  river,  extend  streets  to 
the  south  side  and  take  such  other  actiiMi  as  may  be  necessary  to  bring  about 

this   iniproxement.  ,,  ^   ,,  ... 

Kespectfully   submitted, 

JOHN  F.  WALL.VCE. 

March  lO,  1921.  Chairman. 


20 


EXHIBIT   1 
ACTIVITIES   OF  COMMISSION 


EXHIBIT   I 

ACTIVITIES  OF  COMMISSION 
TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Page 
Number 


General  Statement 1 

Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification 4 

Dearborn  Station  —  Temporary  Facilities 11 

Switch  Yard  Between  94th  Street  and  110th  Street 15 

Baltimore  &  Ohio   Chicago  Terminal   Railroad  —  Coach   Yard 

and  Engine  Terminal 17 

Proposed  Santa  Fe  Fruit  Terminal 20 

Illinois  Central-Lake  Front  Ordinance 25 


ACTIVITIES    OF   THE   COMMISSION. 

The  Commission  has,  since  its  creation,  given  continuous  considera- 
tion to  the  railway  terminal  situation   in   Chicago. 

A  staff  has  been  maintained  by  the  Commission,  which  has  collected 
data  pertaining  to  the  railroads,  and  which — through  the  direction  of  the 
Commission — has  made  many  alternative  designs  and  studies  of  matters 
directly  referred  to  the  Commission  and  has  also  made  many  original  studies 
of  possible  solutions  of  various  portions  of  the  problem  affecting  the  rail- 
road terminal   situation. 

The  office  of  the  Commission  is  always  available  as  a  source  of  infor- 
mation for  those  who  may  be  interested  in  any  phase  of  the  railroad 
situation. 

Through  the  office  of  the  Commission,  the  different  committees  of  the 
City  Council  and  the  administrative  departments  of  the  city  are  able  to 
obtain  information  and  advice  on  problems  arising  from  time  to  time  af- 
fecting the  relations  between  the  city  and  the  railroads.  In  this  manner, 
many  minor  matters  are  disposed  of  which  do  not  show  in  the  official  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Commission. 

In  addition  to  the  consideration  given  in  meetings  of  the  Commission, 
the  Commission  has  had  representation  at  meetings  of  the  City  Council 
Committees  during  which  matters  referred  to  the  Commission  were  under 
discussion,  and  in  this  way  has  acted  in  an  advisory  capacity  to  the  City 
Council  Committees. 

Many  of  the  matters  referred  to  the  Commission  were  of  such  a  nature 
as  to  require  the  consideration  of  the  Commission  in  meetings  extending 
over  an  interval  of  several  months,  and  the  definite  action  taken  thereon  as 
embodied  in  the  special  reports  made  on  these  subjects  is  not  always  in- 
dicative of  the  amount  of  labor  and  thought  expended  on  the  matter. 

Particularly  is  this  true  where  the  subject  contemplated  legislative  action 
by  the  Council  involving  conflicting  interests.  In  such  cases  it  has  been 
the  endeavor  of  the  Commission  to  bring  these  conflicting  interests  as 
nearly  as  may  be  into  harmony  and,  failing  so  to  do,  fully  advise  the 
Council  Committees  interested  so  that  these  committees  could  be  able  to 
render  such  decision  as  would  safeguard  the  city  without  placing  undue 
hardship  on  other  interests. 

Proceedings    of    the  In  the  following  statement  is  given   a  list  of  various   matters  referred 

Commission.  ^^^  ^]^g  Commission,  and  on  which  reports  and  recommendations  were  made 

to  the  City   Council : 

Electrification  and   Smoke  Abatement 

.\  number  of  communications,  orders,  resolutions  and  ordinances, 
which  had  been  introduced  in  the  City  Council  prior  to  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Commission. 

Polk  and  Taylor  Street  Viaduct 

Question  of  widening  the  west  approaches  to  the  Polk  Street  and 
Taylor  Street  viaducts. 
1 


Western  Indiana  Railroad 

a — Increasing  the  facilities  at  the  Dearborn  Station; 
b — Pertaining  to  the  construction  of  a  railroad  switching  vard  be- 
tween 94th  Street  and   110th  Street. 

Chicago  Municipal  Market  Commission 

Report  of  the  Chicago  Municipal  Market  Commission  was  referred 
to  this  Commission  with  the  request  that  a  report  be  made  on  the 
subject. 

Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad 

Construction  of  additional  tracks  and  facilities  in  connection  with 
a  coach  yard  between  Wood  Street  and  Lincoln  Street. 

Central  Terminal  Railway  Company 

Ordinance  for  the  construction  of  a  switch  track  across  South  Jeffer- 
son Street  and  West  14th  Place. 

Atchison  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway 

Ordinance  \acating  streets  and  providing  for  the  construction  of  a 
fruit  terminal. 

Report  of  Smoke  Abatement  Committee 

Committee  of  the  Association  of  Commerce  on  Smoke  Abatement 
and  Electrification  of  Railway  Terminals  report  referred  to  this 
Commission  for  an  opinion  thereon. 

West  Water  Street  Switch  Track  Ordinance 

Revision  of  switch  track  ordinances  on  West  Water  Street  in  con- 
nection with  Union  Station  improvements. 

Relocation  of  Illinois  Central  Depot 

Resolution  directing  Commission  to  take  up  question  of  relocation 
of  Illinois  Central  Depot. 

Opening  of  14th  Street 

Question  of  opening  uf  14th  Street  from  Clark  to  Canal  Street. 

Quit  Claim  Deed  to  Certain  Vacated  Streets 

Question  of  City  issuing  quit  claim  deed  to  certain  streets  vacated 
under  Union  Station  Ordinance — which  involved  questions  as  to 
whether  Union  Station  Company  had  complied  with  provision  of 
ordinance  of  March  23,  1914. 

Construction  Work  on  Polk  or  Taylor  Streets 

Question  as  to  whether  it  is  practical  or  feasible  for  Union  Station 
Company  to  start  construction  on  either  Polk  Street  or  Taylor  Street 
viaducts. 

B.  &  O.  C.  T.  Building  South  of  12th  Street 

Question  as  to  the  location  of  buildings  under  construction  b\-  B.  & 
0.  C.  T.  interfering  with  the  projection  of  streets  in  connection  with 
river  straightening. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  Buildings  on  W.  14th  Street 

Matter  of  buildings  under  construction  by  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  encroach- 
ing on  West  14th  Street. 

Twelfth  Street  Improvement 

Question  of  river  straightening  as  affecting  construction  of  12th 
Street  improvement. 

Resolution  of  Alderman  Schwartz 

Resolution  relative  to  securing  cooperation  of  railroads  using  Grand 
Central,  LaSalle  and  Dearborn  Stations  in  working  out  a  unified 
terminal,  based  upon  complete  electrification. 

2 


Illinois  Central  Ordinance — Public  Policy  Question 

Request  to  report  on  questions  of  public  policy  involved  in  the 
Illinois  Central  ordinance. 

Carroll  Avenue  Switch  Tracks 

The  question  of  the  advisability  of  permitting  the  construction  of 
certain  switch  tracks  in  Carroll  Avenue  was  referred  to  the  Com- 
mission. 

This  matter  was  studied  b>-  the  Commission  and  a  report  made  out- 
lining the  limits  of  permissible  occupation  of  Carroll  Avenue  by 
switch  tracks  and  the  manner  of  construction  which  should  be  pro- 
vided. 

Union  Station  Ordinance  Amendments — Changes  in  Street  Grades 

In  preparing  plans  for  the  improvements  provided  for  in  the  Union 
Station  Ordinance  it  developed  that  certain  changes  in  street  grades 
might  be  desirable.  This  question  was  referred  to  the  Commission 
and  a  number  of  meetings  were  held,  studies  made  and  an  ordinance 
prepared  and  submitted  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee. 

Federal  Control  of  Railroads 

The  Director  General  of  Railroads  made  a  request  on  the  Commis- 
sion for  suggestions.  A  statement  was  prepared  reciting  the  position 
of  the  Commission  on  Railway  Terminal  matters  and  a  suggestion 
made  that  a  local  manager  be  appointed  to  operate  all  of  the  terminal 
facilities  within  the  Chicago  Terminal  District  as  a  unit.  It  was 
pointed  out  by  the  Commission  that  such  a  procedure  would  make 
large  efficiencies  and  economies  immediately  possible. 

Later  the  Director  General  appointed  a  Terminal  Manager  for  the 
Chicago  Terminal  District  and  the  staflf  of  the  Commission  was  in 
frequent  consultation  with  this  official  during  tlie  period  of  Federal 
Control. 

State  Street  and  Roosevelt  Road 

The  question  of  the  desirability  of  constructing  ramps  in  State 
Street  connecting  with  the  Roosevelt  Road  viaduct.  A  number  of 
meetings  were  held  on  this  matter  and  a  report  made  to  the  Board 
of  Local  Improvements. 

In  all  of  these  matters  were  involved  questions  affecting  the  ultimate 
solution  of  the  railway  terminal  situation  and  in  eacli  case  the  effort  was 
made  to  get  the  matter  in  such  shape  as  would  render  action  thereon  in 
harmony  with   this  ultimate   solution   or   at  least  not   in   conflict  therewith. 

In  the  following  pages  is  given  a  more  complete  statement  with  reference 
to  some  of  the  important  matters  which  received  the  consideration  of  the 
Commission. 


SMOKE    ABATEMENT   AND    ELECTRIFICATION    OF 
RAILWAY  TERMINALS. 

Immediately  after  the  creation  of  tlie  Railway  Terminal  Commission  the 
question  of  smoke  abatement  and  electrification  of  railway  terminals  was 
referred  to  it  and  the  Commission  has  at  various  times  since  then  made 
statements  and  reports  concerning  this  subject. 

In  the  following  pages  there  is  given  a  chronological  statement  of  the 
several  actions  and  reports  on  this  matter. 

June  26,  1914.  At  a  meeting  held  June  26,  1914,  the  Commission  received  a  communica- 

tion dated  June  8,  1914,  transmitting  to  the  Commission  the  following  ordi- 
nances, resolutions,  and  communications  pertaining  to  smoke  abatement  and 
electrification  of  railways  and  requesting  the  Commission  to  report  its  recom- 
mendations thereon : 

"  "b" — An  ordinance — referred  to  the  railway  terminals  committee 
October  6,  1913 — requiring  railroad  companies  to  operate  their  trains 
within  the  limits  of  the  City  of  Chicago  by  other  power  than  steam,  or 
in  a  manner  that  will  not  produce  smoke  or  any  noxious  gases  that  in- 
juriously afifect  the  public  health,  comfort  or  convenience. 

"c" — Comnumication  and  statement  from  the  Chicago  Association  of 
Commerce — referred  to  the  Committee  June  16,  1913 — relative  to  smoke 
abatement  and  electrification. 

"d" — Resolution  adopted  by  the  men  of  Holy  Angels'  Parish — re- 
ferred to  the  Committee  June  16,  1913 — favoring  the  passage  of  an  anti- 
smoke  ordinance. 

"e" — Communication  from  representatives  of  certain  railroads  enter- 
ing Chicago — referred  to  the  committee  May  12,  1913 — re  electrification 
of  railroads. 

"f" — Ordinance — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — provid- 
ing for  the  electrification  of  railroads  within  a  radius  of  eight  iniles  of 
the  City  Hall. 

"g" — Ordinance  referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — requiring 
the  operation  of  railroad  cars  or  trains  within  a  radius  of  seven  miles 
of  the  Court  House  by  power  other  than  steam. 

"h" — Order — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — requesting 
the  Mayor  to  appoint  a  Commission  of  six  members  to  investigate  and 
report  on  the  practicability  of  eliminating  the  smoke  nuisance  in  con- 
nection with  the  operation  of  locomotives  within  the  city. 

"i" — Order — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — for  an  ordi- 
nance requiring  the  electrification  of  railroads. 

"j" — Report  prc])ared  by  Paul  P.  Bird — referred  to  the  committee 
April  28,  1913 — on  the  electrification  of  steam  railway  terminals. 

"k" — Communication — referred  to  the  committee  .\pril  28,  1913 — 
from  railroad  employees  of  South  Chicago  on  the  subject  of  electrifica- 
tion of  steam  railroads. 


|}ept«mber  23,  1914. 


!foTember  30,  1914. 


"1" — Communication  anil  i)etition— referred  to  tlie  committee  April 
28.  1913 — from  the  Chicago  Anti-Smoke  League  in  re  noise  and  smoke 
caused  by  the  operation  of  trains  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

"m" — Communication — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — 
from  the  property  owners  in  Groveland  Park,  in  re  smoke  and  noise 
caused  by  the  operation  of  the  Illinois  Central  trains. 

"n" — Communication — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — 
from  railroad  employees  to  Ma3'or  Fred  A.  Busse,  in  re  operation  of 
railroad  cars  or  trains  by  power  other  than  steam. 

"o" — Communication — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913 — 
from  former  Mayor  Fred  A.  Busse,  in  re  substitution  of  electric  motive 
power  for  steam  power  in  the  operation  of  railroad  terminals. 

"p" — Communication — referred  to  the  committee  April  28,  1913— 
from  the  Neighborhood  Improvement  League,  in  favor  of  the  electrifica- 
tion of  railroads. 

"q" — Order — referred  to  the  committee  November  26,  1913 — direct- 
ing the  committee  in  its  consideration  of  the  passenger  terminal  ordi- 
nance of  the  Union  Station  Company,  to  give  the  fullest  consideration 
to  the  question  of  requiring  the  companies  using  the  passenger  terminal 
to  electrify  their  passenger  service  tracks  within  the  city. 

"r" — Communication  from  Harry  A.  Allen,  consulting  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  on  the  subject  of  the  Doyle  Air 
Method  of  Combustion  and  the  steam-gas  locomotive." 

At  this  meeting  there  was  also  received  a  communication  dated  Tune 
23.  1914,  transmitting  the  following  ordinance: 

"  "a" — An  ordinance  amending  Section  2358  of  the  Chicago  Code 
of  1911,  to  prohibit  the  emission  of  dense  smoke  within  the  city  from  the 
smokestack  of  any  locomotive,  steamboat,  steam  tug,  steam  roller,  steam 
derrick,  steam  pile-driver,  tar  kettle  or  any  other  similar  machine  or 
contrivance,  or  from  the  smokestack  or  chimney  of  any  building  or 
premises." 

NOTE :  On  account  of  the  absence  of  the  Commission  on  a  tour  of 
inspection  of  terminal  facilities  in  American  and  European  cities,  no 
meetings  of  the  Commission  were  held  between  July  3,  1914,  and  Sep- 
tember 23,  1914. 

.\t  a  meeting  held  September  23,  1914,  the  conmuuiicalions  referred  to 
above  were  considered  by  the  Commission  and  the  Chairman  was  instructed 
to  communicate  with  the  Association  of  Commerce  of  the  City  of  Chicago, 
asking  to  be  informed  as  to  the  probable  date  when  the  report  of  their  Com- 
mittee on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of  Railway  Terminals  would 
be  available. 

The  Chairman  was  instructed  to  transmit  to  the  City  Council  Committee 
on  Railway  Terminals  the  following  report  relati\e  to  these  ordinances, 
resolutions  and  communications : 

"With  reference  to  all  of  the  foregoing  ordinances  and  communica- 
tions the  Commission  desires  to  report  that  they  are  advised  by  the 
President  of  the  Association  of  Commerce  that  the  .Association  Com- 
mittee on  Smoke  Abatement  and   Electrification  of   Railwav  Terminals 


March  23,  1915. 


December  21,  1916. 


expect  to  have  their  report  readv  for  submission  during  December  of  this 
year,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Commission  that  it  will  be  advisable 
to  defer  taking  action  on  an\'  of  the  above  ordinances  and  communica- 
tions until  the  receipt  of  the  report  referred  to,  as  this  report  will  un- 
doubtedly contain  information  which  will  be  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  the  Commission  in  its  further  consideration  of  the  subject." 

On  pages  20  and  21  of  the  preliminary  report  of  the  Railway  Terminal 
Commission  submitted  on  March  2.\  1915,  the  following  appears  relative  to 
electrification  : 

"A  railroad  company  not  only  finds  it  unnecessary  to  conduct  both 
its  freight  and  its  passenger  business  at  the  same  terminal  location  or 
over  the  same  terminal  tracks,  but  it  usually  discovers  operating  ad- 
vantages in  the  separation  of  freight  and  passenger  terminals.  This  is  of 
great  practical  importance  in  preparing  for  the  electrification  of  railway 
terminals.  Both  the  railroads  and  the  public  are  looking  forward  to  the 
substitution  of  some  less  objectionable  motive  power  for  the  present 
steam  locomotive,  especially  in  the  operation  of  passenger  terminals  and 
terminal  tracks." 

"The  Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of  the 
Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  has — for  more  than  four  years— been 
making  a  detailed  study  of  this  question,  and  its  report  is  soon  expected. 
Without  anticipating  the  findings  of  this  report,  it  seems  safe  to  assume 
from  the  evidence  generally  available,  that  electricity — applied  either  by 
means  of  the  overhead  trolley  or  by  means  of  the  third  rail  direct  contact 
SNStem — is  the  only  motive  power  other  than  steam  that  has  demon- 
strated its  practicability  for  such  extensive  application  as  would  be  neces- 
sary at  Chicago." 

"It  is  apparent  that  the  cost  of  electrification  will  be  greatly  reduced 
by  simplifying  and  unifying  the  passenger  tracks  entering  the  city ;  by 
removing  the  present  tangle  of  cross  lines;  by  establishment  of  direct 
instead  of  roundabout  routes  within  the  city ;  and  by  the  joint  use  of 
tracks  available  for  and  adequate  for  more  railway  companies  than  those 
which  now  utilize  these  particular  tracks.  The  adoption  of  outlying 
cooperative  freight  stations  would  greatly  simplify  the  electrification  of 
the  more  central  freight  terminals  and  tracks." 

On  December  21,  1915,  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  received  the 
report  of  the  Association  of  Commerce  Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and 
Electrification  of  Railway  Terminals ;  also,  an  order  introduced  by  .-Mderman 
Nance  directing  the  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  to  take  up  for  im- 
mediate consideration  the  subject  of  electrification  of  steam  railways  within 
the  City  of  Chicago. 

After  an  extended  discussion,  a  motion  was  made  referring  both  of  these 
matters  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission,  with  the  request  that  they 
report  within  thirty  da}  s  on  the  subject  matter. 


January  4,  1916.  A    meeting  of   the    Railway    Terminal    Committee   was    held   January   4, 

1916,  at  which  were  present  John  F.  Wallace,  Chairman  of  the  Railway 
Terminal  Commission,  and  C.  L.  Deering,  Harrison  B.  Riley,  and  Harrv  A. 
Wheeler,  representing  the  Association  of  Commerce. 

6 


At  this  meeting  the  representatives  of  the  Association  of  Commerce 
explained  the  report  of  its  Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrifica- 
tion of  Railway  Terminals  and  answered  questions  put  to  them  by  different 
members  of  the  Committee. 

inuary  7,  1916.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Commission  held  January  7,  1916,  there  was  received 

a   communication   from   the   Railway   Terminal   Committee   referring   to   the 

Commission  : 

A  comunication  from  His  Honor,  Mayor  Thompson,  trans- 
mitting to  the  City  Council  a  report  of  the  Association  of  Com- 
merce Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of 
Railway  Terminals ; 

Also  an  order  introduced  by  Alderman  Nance  directing  the 
Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  to  take  up  for  immediate  con- 
sideration the  subject  of  electrification  of  steam  railways  within 
the  City  of  Chicago. 

Referring  to  this  communication,  the  Secretary  of  the  Commission  was 
instructed  to  notify  the  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  as  follows : 

"*  *  *  The  Commission  will  proceed  with  all  possible  diligence 
in  the  consideration  of  this  subject  and  will  make  a  report  at  the  earliest 
date  possible ;  however,  the  subject  is  too  large  and  requires  too  much 
consideration  to  enable  the  Commission  to  make  an  intelligent  report 
within  the  time  requested." 

arch  7,  1916.  Under  date  of  March  7,   1916,  the  Chairman  of  the   Rail\va\-   Terminal 

Commission  directed  a  letter  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  with  ref- 
erence to  the  Illinois  Central  terminal  and  reported  that  among  other  things 
— the  members  of  the  sub-committee  of  the  Commission  had  had  an  interview 
with  the  President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  during  which  the  question 
of  the  electrification  of  the  Illinois  Central  was  discussed. 

ay  3,  1916.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Railwa\-  Terminal  Committee  on  May  3,   1916,  the 

Chairman  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  made  a  report  on  the  various 
matters  before  the  Commission,  which  report  says  the  following  regarding 
electrification : 

"The  Commission  feels  that  the  development  of  a  terminal  station 
on  the  Lake  Front  of  a  capacity  sufficient  to  take  care  of  all — or  prac- 
tically all — of  the  roads  now  having  terminals  in  the  territory  south  of 
Van  Buren  Street  between  State  Street  and  the  Chicago  River,  will 
permit  of  the  working  out  of  a  plan  for  the  adoption  of  electrification  of 
the  passenger  traffic  in  the  Chicago  terminals,  and  that  the  electrification 
of  the  passenger  terminal  will  be  a  step  toward  the  complete  electrifica- 
tion of  all  railroad  tracks  within  the  terminal  district." 

Further  explaining  this  statement,  Mr.  Wallace  explained  to  the  Com- 
mittee how  the  electrification  of  the  suburban  tracks  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  would  assist  in  the  bringing  about  of  electrification,  not  only  of 
the  balance  of  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central,  but  would  also  help  toward 
the  electrification  of  the  other  lines.     He  also  explained  to  the   Committee 

7 


how  electrical  operation  would  result  in  o;iving  the  terminal  stations  greater 
capacity  and  explained  at  some  length  what  effect  electrification  would  have 
on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  suburban  tracks. 

October  4,  1916.  The  Chairman  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission,  on  October  4,  1915, 

made  a  report  to  the  City  Council  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  referring 

to  matters  of  smoke  abatement  and  electrification  of  railway  terminals.  This 
report  reads  as  follows : 

"At  the  time  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  was  created,  there 
was  referred  to  it  a  number  of  resolutions,  orders  and  communications 
relative  to  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification,  some  of  these  having 
been  before  the  City  Council  or  its  Committees  for  a  number  of  \  ears. 

When  the  Commission  came  to  consider  these  resolutions,  orders 
and  communications,  it  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  Association 
of  Commerce  Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of 
Railway  Terminals  had  an  extensive  engineering  and  technical  staff  who 
were  giving  consideration  to  this  subject,  which  Committee  had  promised 
that  its  report  would  be  forthcoming  within  a  reasonable  time. 

The  Commission  therefore  advised  \our  Committee  that  in  its 
opinion  it  would  be  desirable  to  defer  any  action  on  these  matters  until 
the  receipt  of  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Association  of  Com- 
merce. 

When  this  report  was  received  by  the  City  Council,  it  was  referred 
to  )-our  Committee  and  by  your  Committee  referred  to  the  Railwa\- 
Terminal  Commission. 

A  number  of  meetings  were  held  at  that  time — both  b\-  the  Com- 
mission and  b>-  your  Committee  at  which  the  Commission  was  repre- 
sented— and  the  general  features  of  the  report  were  discussed. 

The  general  findings  of  this  report  stated  the  financial  impractica- 
bilit\-  of  undertaking  the  electrification  of  all  of  the  railway  terminals 
of  Chicago  as  a  whole  and  did  not  suggest  any  basis  on  which  the  City 
of  Chicago  could  compel  by  legislative  action  the  electrification  of  these 
railway  terminals. 

The  Commission  has  always  been  of  the  opinion  that  electrification 
of  railway  terminals  in  Chicago  would  be  brought  about  through  a 
process  of  negotiations  with  the  railroads  interested  and  when  it  is  pos- 
sible to  demonstrate  to  the  railroads  that  the  substitution  of  some  other 
motive  power  than  steam  is  to  the  financial  advantage  of  the  railroads 
and  that  this  condition  will  most  rapidly  be  brought  about  by  securing 
the  elimination  of  steam  motive  power  on  some  branch  of  the  service  of 
one  of  the  railroads,  and  demonstrating  through  this  service  the  advan- 
tages of  extending  the  change  to  all  classes  of  transportation  service 
within  the  city  limits. 

The  Commission  feels  that  the  development  of  a  terminal  station 
on  the  Lake  Front  of  a  capacity  sufficient  to  take  care  of  all — or  prac- 
tically all — of  the  roads  now  having  terminals  in  the  territory  south 
of  Van  Buren  Street  between  State  Street  and  the  Chicago  River,  will 
permit  of  the  working  out  of  a  plan  for  the  adoption  of  electrification 
of  the  passenger  traffic  in  the  Chicago  terminals  and  that  the  electrifica- 
tion of  the  passenger  terminals  will  be  a  step  toward  the  electrification 
of  railroad  tracks  within  the  terminal  district." 

8 


)eceinber  5,  1916.  On   December   5,    1916,   the   Commission   approved   the   following   com- 

munication and  report : 

"Alderman  Ellis  Geiger, 

Chairman,  and  Members  of  the 

City  Council  Committee  on  Raihva}-  Terminals, 

City  Hall, 

Chicago. 
Gentlemen : 

Complying  with  the  instructions  from  \our  Committee — as  passed 
by  motion  made  at  a  meeting  held  Novemljer  29,  1916 — the  Railway- 
Terminal  Commission  hereby  transmits  to  }our  Committee  all  of  the 
orders,  resolutions  and  ordinances  pertaining  to  smoke  abatement  or 
electrification  which  have  been  referred  to  this  Commission,  a  memo- 
randum list  of  same  being  attached  hereto. 

The  Commission  is  also  submitting  herewith  an  historical  statement 
covering  all  actions  and  considerations  given  this  subject  and  calls 
attention  to  the  fact  that  on  October  fourth,  1916,  the  Chairman  of  this 
Commission  furnished  your  Committee  a  typewritten  statement  which 
was  practical!}'  a  report  on  all  of  these  matters. 

The  report  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  on  Smoke 
Abatement  and  Electrification  of  Railway  Terminals  was  also  referred 
to  this  Commission.  As  this  report  covered  the  whole  field  of  smoke 
abatement  and  electrification,  the  Commission  is  hereby  transmitting  its 
report  on  said  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  report,  and  the  con- 
clusions on  some  may  be  applied  to  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  this 
subject  referred  to  the  Commission. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

CHICAGO  RAILWAY  TERMINAL  COMMISSION, 

(Signed)  John  F.  Wallace, 

JFW:H  Chairman." 

Alderman  Ellis  Geiger, 

Chairman,  and  Members  of  the 

City  Council  Committee  on  Railwa\    Terminals, 

City  Hall, 

Chicago. 

Gentlemen : 

In  re  report  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  Committee 
of  Investigation  on  Smake  Abatement  and  Electrification  of  Railway 
Terminals. 

The  report  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  Committee  of 
Investigation  on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of  Railway  Ter- 
minals has  been  referred  to  this  Commission. 

The  Commission  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  report  of  the 
Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  Committee  on  Smoke  Abatement  and 
Electrification  of  Railway  Terminals  was  the  work  of  the  most  expert 
body  of  men  that  the  Association  of  Commerce  was  able  to  collect,  and 
that  the  consideration  this  scientific  body  gave  to  the  subject  was  un- 
hampered by  limitations  as  to  time  or  funds,  the  investigation  lasting 
over  a  period  of  about  five  years  and  costing  about  $650,000. 

9 


While  this  report  is  presumed  to  be  a  thorough  and  extensive  in- 
vestigation of  all  of  the  facts  surrounding  the  prolilcm,  it  practically 
magniiies  the  difficulties  by  considering  the  problem,  together  witli  all 
its  conditions  and  its  treatment  as  a  whole,  and  presents  no  practical 
solution. 

The  consideration  of  the  problem  in  detail  by  your  Commission  con- 
vinces it  that  the  seriousness  of  the  air  pollution  is  so  intenselv  localized 
along  the  various  lines  of  steam  railway  transportation  that  the  facts 
submitted  by  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce — being  general 
averages — are  of  practically  no  value  in  the  consideration  of  local  condi- 
tions as  they  exist  adjacent  to  the  steam  railroad  rights  of  wav. 

The  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Chicago  Association  of  Commerce  Com- 
mittee on  Smoke  Abatement  and  Electrification  of  Railwav  Terminals, 
in  an  abstract  of  the  report  of  said  committee,  makes  the  following 
statement : 

"The  complete  electrification  of  the  Chicago  railroad  terminals 
as  a  means  of  abating  smoke  is  technically  practical  but  financially 
impractical.  This  is  the  finding  of  the  Chicago  Association  of 
Commerce  Committee  of  Investigation  on  Smoke  Abatement  and 
Electrification  of  Railwav  Terminals,  which  has  been  studying  the 
problem  since  early  in  1911." 

Further  on  in  this  same  abstract  the  statement  is  made : 

"The  preceding  conclusions  apply  to  the  complete  electrification 
of  Chicago's  railroad  terminals.  The  financial  practicability,  under 
present  conditions  of  electrification  as  it  might  be  applied  to  indi- 
vidual roads  or  to  a  single  service  of  individual  roads,  is  a  matter 
which  has  not  been  investigated  bv  the  Committee  and  concerning 
which  no  opinion  is  expressed." 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  fully  realizes  the  magnitude  of 
the  problem  for  the  complete  electrification  of  the  railway  terminals  in 
Chicago  as  a  whole  and  the  difliculties  in  the  way  of  its  accomplishment, 
and  has  therefore  suggested  that  the  plan  along  which  it  is  now  working, 
that  is,  of  attacking  this  problem  in  detail  and  commencing  with  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  with  which  Company  negotiations  are  now 
under  way  and  it  is  of  the  opinion  that  this  method  is  at  the  present 
time  most  liable  to  lead  to  tangible  results. 

The  Commission  believes  that  railway  terminal  electrification  in 
Chicago  is  desirable  wherever  and  to  whatever  extent  the  necessary 
investment  is  not  so  large  as  to  be  unreasonable  when  considered  in 
relation  to  the  traffic  and  the  revenues  that  are  available  or  can  be  made 
available. 

It  has  already  pointed  out  in  its  printed  report  made  to  your  Com- 
mittee on  March  23,  1915,  that  the  co-ordination  and  intensive  develop- 
ment of  railway  terminals  in  this  city  would  not  only  be  of  ver\-  great 
advantage  to  the  public  in  the  handling  of  freight,  the  relief  of  street 
congestion  and  the  development  of  the  city,  but  also  in  increasing  the 
financial  and  operating  practicability  of  electrification. 

RespectfuU}-  submitted, 

CHICAGO  RAILWAY  TERMINAL  COMMISSION. 

(Signed)  John  F.  Wallace. 


10 


TEMPORARY   ADDITIONAL   FACILITIES 
DEARBORN  STATION. 

On  June  26,  1914,  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  referred  to  the  Rail- 
way Terminal  Commission  an  application  by  the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana 
Railway  Company — operating  the  Dearborn  station — for  an  ordinance  grant- 
ing- permission  and  authority  to  construct,  maintain  and  operate  two  tracks 
across  PlyuKjuth  Place  at  Taylor  Street,  the  purpose  of  these  tracks  being 
to  enable  this  company  to  develop  the  western  half  of  the  block  east  of 
Pljmouth  Court  and  south  of  Polk  Street  for  immigrant  station  purposes. 

At  the  time  this  ordinance  was  introduced  in  the  City  Council  a  very 
large  percentage  of  the  immigrants  arriving  at  or  passing  through  Chicago 
reached  the  city  on  railroads  which  use  the  Dearborn  Station  as  a  passenger 
terminal.  The  traffic  at  the  Dearborn  Station  had  entirely  outgrown  the 
facilities  and  there  were  no  adequate  provisions  for  taking  care  of  immigrants. 
It  was  therefore  desirable  that  the  railroad  company  operating  this  station 
be  given  an  opportunity  to  provide  adequate  facilities  for  its  immigrant 
travel  and  also  to  better  handle  its  suburban  business. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  to  the  interest  of  the  city  not  to  grant  addi- 
tional terminal  facilities  at  this  point  that  would  in  any  way  retard  the  solu- 
tion of  the  railway  terminal  problem  or  that  would  grant  such  additional 
rights  as  would  make  it  unnecessary  for  this  railroad  company  and  other 
railroads  using  this  station  to  seek  a  better  location  for  a  terminal  station. 

The  Commission  gave  consideration  to  this  subject  during  a  period 
covering  several  months.  Various  conferences  were  held  with  representatives 
of  the  railroad  company,  with  the  result  that  the  railroad  company  agreed  to 
accept  an  ordinance  limited  to  a  life  of  five  years  and  definitely  providing  for 
improvements  of  a  temporary  character,  the  amount  of  investment  in  which 
would  not  be  considered  as  a  substantial  objection  to  this  company  seeking 
other  terminal  facilities  in  the  future. 

As  a  result  of  these  conferences  the  Commission  on  October  30,  1914, 
adopted  the  following  resolution  : 

"WHEREAS,  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago  has  submitted 
to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  the  application  of  the  Chicago  & 
Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company  for  the  right  to  construct  and  oper- 
ate two  tracks  across  Plymouth  Court  near  its  intersection  with  Taylor 
Street  and  have  suljmitted  also  a  pending  ordinance  relating  to  this 
subject,  and 

"WHEREAS,  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  has, careful! v  con- 
sidered the  matter  submitted  to  them,  NOW  THEREFORE, 

"BE  IT  RESOLVED  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  this  Commission  that 
it  is  highly  desirable  that  increased  terminal  facilities  should  promptly 
be  provided  by  the  Chicago  &  W^estern  Indiana  Railroad  Company  for 
its  suburban  passenger  service  and  the  suburban  and  emigrant  passenger 
service  of  its  tenant  companies,  viz  : 

Grand  Trunk  &  Western  Railway  Company, 
Chicago  &  Erie  Railroad  Company, 
Chicago,  Indianapolis  &   Louisville  Railroad  Co., 
11 


Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company, 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company, 
Wabash  Railroad  Company, 
Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois  Railroad  Company, 

and  that  such  improved  facilities  should  not  wait  upon  and  will  not  con- 
stitute a  substantial  obstacle  to  the  present  consideration  and  future 
adoption  and  carrying  into  effect  of  comprehensive  terminal  plans  and 
policies,  providing  the  ordinance  authorizing  such  facilities  is  expressly 
limited  to  a  period  of  not  more  than  five  years  and  contains  provisions 
relating  to  the  straightening  of  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  River 
and  other  conditions  substantially  of  a  character  indicated  in  a  redraft 
of  the  said  ordinance  previously  submitted  to  this  Commission  which 
redraft  is  herewith  respectfully  transmitted  for  the  consideration  of  the 
Council   Committee   on    Railway  Terminals   and   the   City   Council,  and 

"BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  this 
Commission  that  the  Court  proceedings  for  the  widening  of  Polk  Street 
from  South  State  Street  to  South  Clark  Street — which  proceedings  are 
now  pending  in  the  County  Court  under  direction  and  authority  of  an 
ordinance  heretofore  passed  by  the  City  Council — should  be  promptly 
carried  to  a  conclusion  so  that  the  roadway  of  said  Polk  Street  and  the 
sidewalk  on  the  south  side  thereof,  can  be  widened  and  appropriate  pro- 
vision be  made  to  take  care  of  the  increased  public  traffic  in  connection 
with  the  proposed  new  station." 

The  Ordinance  providing  for  this  improvement  was  passed  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  City  Council  held  July   15,  1915. 

The  improvements  covered  by  the  Ordinance  are  shown  on  Plate  No.  13. 


Request  for  Exten- 
sion of  Time  and  Ad- 
ditional   Facilities. 


On  May  26.  1920,  the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company 
applied  to  the  City  Council  for  an  ordinance  which  would  extend  the  rights 
granted  in  the  ordinance  of  July  15,  1915,  for  a  period  of  five  years  and  also 
grant  to  the  Railroad  Company  the  right  to  occupy  the  eastern  halt  of  the 
block  occupied  by  the  immigrant  station. 

This  Ordinance  was  referred  to  the  Commission  June  7,  1920.  .'\n 
anab.sis  of  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance  was  made  and  consideration  given 
to  the  matter  and  on  June  22,  1920,  the  following  report  was  made. 

Chicago,  June  22.  1920. 
Alderman  William  F.  Lipps,  Chairman, 
and  Members  of  the  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals, 
of  the  City  Council  of  the  Cit)-  of  Chicago. 

Gentlemen : 

With  reference  to  the  ordinance  entitled  "AN  ORDINANCE": 

"Authorizing  and  permitting  the  Chicago  and  Western  Indiana 
Railroad  Company  to  maintain  and  operate,  at  grade,  two  (2)  rail- 
road tracks  over  and  across  Plymouth  Court  at  the  intersection  of 
Plymouth  Court  with  Ta)  lor  Street  from  a  point  on  the  westerly 
line  of  said  Plymouth  Court  approximately  seventeen  (17)  feet 
south  of  the  south  line  of  Ta}  lor  Street  to  a  point  on  the  east  line 
of  said  Phniouth  Court,  approximately  seventy-one  (71)  feet  north 
of  the  north  line  of  Ta\lor  Street;  to  construct,  maintain  and  oper- 
ate, at  grade,  one  (1)  railroad  track  over  and  across  the  public  north 

12 


and  south  alley  lying  between  Plymouth  Court  and  State  Street 
and  Polk  Street  and  Ta}  lor  Street,  said  track  being  approximately 
two  hundred  and  ten  (210)  feet  north  of  the  north  line  of  Taylor 
Street ;  to  maintain  use  and  operate  the  railroad  tracks,  platforms 
and  buildings  over  and  across  the  first  east  and  west  public  alley 
south  of  Polk  Street  between  Plymouth  Court  and  the  first  alley 
east  thereof;  and  to  maintain  and  use  a  conduit  across  Plymouth 
Court  between  Polk  Street  and  Taylor  Street  as  now  constructed." 

which  was  introduced  in  the  City  Council  at  a  meeting  held  May  26, 
1920,  and  referred  by  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  to  the  Railway 
Terminal  Commission  June  7,  1920. 

In  July,  1915,  the  City  Council  passed  an  ordinance  granting  to  the 
Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company  the  right  to  lay  two 
tracks  across  Phmouth  Court  near  Taylor  Street  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  a  temporary  addition  to  the  Dearborn  Station  located  on  the 
half  block  immediately  east  thereof  to  be  used  for  suburban  and  im- 
migrant business.    This  ordinance  will  expire  in  August  of  this  year. 

The  purpose  of  the  ordinance  at  present  before  the  Commission  is 
to  extend  the  rights  referred  to  in  the  last  preceding  paragraph  for  a 
period  of  five  years,  and  also  to  grant  the  right  to  lay  additional  tracks 
on  the  half  block  east  of  the  suburban  and  immigrant  station  built  in 
1915,  which  would  carry  the  railroad  occupation  to  State  Street. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  in  previous  reports  to  your 
Committee  has  stated  that  it  would  be  highly  desirable  if  all  of  the 
passenger  stations  l^etween  State  Street  and  the  south  branch  of  the 
Chicago  River  could  be  eliminated. 

The  Commission  has  also  stated  that  with  the  straightening  of  the 
river,  and  the  revamping  of  the  railway  freight  terminals  in  the  territory 
immediately  east  of  the  straightened  river,  it  should  be  possible  to  release 
some  of  the  railroad  occupation  from  the  territory  abutting  on  State 
Street. 

With  the  passage  and  acceptance  of  the  Illinois  Central  Lake  Front 
Ordinance  a  way  was  opened  up  for  the  furthering  of  the  consideration 
of  this  important  subject. 

It  has  been  stated  in  previous  reports  to  your  Committee  that  it  is 
possible  at  the  location  provided  in  the  Illinois  Central  Lake  Front 
ordinance  to  provide  facilities  sufficient  to  take  care  of  all,  or  practically 
all,  of  the  railroad  passenger  trains  now  having  terminals  in  the  terri- 
tory between  State  Street  and  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  River. 

It  should  be  the  policy  therefore  at  this  time  for  the  City  to  grant  no 
additional  rights  to  any  of  the  railroads  having  terminals  between  State 
Street  and  the  Chicago  River  that  would  in  any  way  hamper  or  delay 
the  City  in  furthering  its  plans  for  the  ultimate  solution  of  the  railway 
terminal  problem  as  affecting  this  territory. 

The  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  ordinance  referred  to  at 
the  opening  of  this  communication  if  passed  would  have  the  effect  of 
placing  the  particular  railroads  using  the  Dearborn  Station  in  position 
to  delay  consideration  of  a  final  treatment  of  the  railway  terminal  situa- 
tion for  a  period  of  five  years,  and  for  this  reason  the  Commission  is  of 
the  opinion  that  the  ordinance  as  submitted  should  not  be  recommended 
for  passage  by  your  Committee. 

The  time  which  has  elapsed  since  this  ordinance  was  referred  to  the 
Commission  has  been  too  short  to  permit  of  a  thorough  consideration 
and  discussion  of  the  subject  between  the  Commission  and  the  railroads 
13 


using;  the  Dearljorn  Station,  and  the  time  set  for  the  adjournment  of  the 
Council  for  the  summer  vacation  will  not  permit  of  a  proper  considera- 
tion of  this  subject  by  your  Committee. 

It  is  therefore  suggested  that  in  lieu  of  the  ordinance  referred  to  the 
Commission  June  7,  1920  your  Committee  recommend  for  passage  a  sub- 
stitute ordinance  providing  for  the  extension  of  the  ordinance  of  July  15, 
1915,  for  a  period  of  one  year,  or  defer  final  action  on  this  ordinance  until 
the  Council  convenes  next  fall. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)  EDWARD  J.  NOONAN, 
EJN:M  Chief  Engineer." 

On  June  23,  1920,  a  meeting  of  the  Railwa)-  Terminal  Committee  was 
held  and  it  was  decided  to  defer  action  on  this  ordinance  until  fall. 

On  December  15,  1920,  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee 
was  held  to  consider  the  Chicago  and  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company 
Ordinance.  After  hearing  from  property  owners  the  Chicago  Plan  Com- 
mission and  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  action  on  the  ordinance  was 
deferred  on  the  request  of  representatives  of  the  Railroad  Company,  in  order 
to  give  these  representatives  opportunity  to  consult  further  with  their  Board 
of  Directors. 


14 


CHICAGO   &   WESTERN   INDIANA   RAILROAD   COMPANY'S   PRO- 
POSED SWITCH  YARD  BETWEEN  94th  AND  110th  STREETS. 

This  proposed  improvement  was  given  consideration  by  the  Railway 
Terminal  Commission  principally  because  the  city  desired  to  provide  for  the 
opening  of  103rd  Street  and  also  to  determine  the  desirability  of  providing 
for  the  opening  of  additional  streets  through  the  territory  to  be  occupied 
by  this  switch  }  ard. 

There  was  also  a  controversy  between  the  city  and  the  Western  Indiana 
Railroad  Company  with  reference  to  the  vacation  of  certain  streets  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  city  as  provided  for  under  existing  track  elevation  ordi- 
nances. 

The  Commission  gave  extended  consideration  to  the  entire  subject  and 
secured  from  the  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company  provisions  for  the 
opening  of  103rd  Street. 

With  reference  to  the  question  of  street  vacation,  at  a  meeting  held 
June  14.  1915,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

"BE  IT  RESOLVED.  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  Commission  that 
the  question  of  the  vacation  of  certain  streets  and  alleys  under  and  by 
virtue  of  the  terms  of  an  ordinance  passed  April  5,  1911,  and  appearing 
in  the  printed  Journal  of  the  proceedings  of  the  City  Council  of  said 
date  at  pages  4398  to  4429,  inclusive,  as  indicated  on  a  plat  referred  to 
this  Commission  by  the  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals,  involves  no 
question  of  public  right  or  interest  other  than  that  of  the  compensation 
to  be  paid  by  the  railroad  company  therefor,  and  that  the  rights  of 
the  City  and  the  public  will  be  protected  by  the  insertion  in  the  so- 
called  immigrant  station  ordinance,  now  pending  before  said  Committee, 
of  a  provision  limiting  but  not  acknowledging  the  claims  of  the  Chi- 
cago &  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company ;  therefore 

BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED,  That  this  Commission  recom- 
mend to  said  Committee  that  there  be  inserted  in  said  immigrant  station 
ordinance  a  section,  a  draft  whereof  is  hereunto  attached,  and  that  the 
question  as  to  whether  or  not  the  streets  and  allevs  in  said  draft  referred 
to  are  or  will  be  vacated,  by  virtue  of  the  terms  of  said  ordinance  of 
April  5,  1911,  shall  be  determined  in  some  manner  in  no  wise  connected 
with  or  dependent  upon  the  passage  of  said  immigrant  station  ordinance. 

THAT,  inasmuch  as  a  controversy  exists  between  the  railroad 
company  and  the  city  concerning  the  construction  of  certain  provisions 
of  the  track  elevation  ordinance  of  April  5,  1911,  appearing  in  the  printed 
Journal  of  the  Council  Proceedings  of  said  date,  at  pages  4398  to  4429, 
inclusi\e,  without  either  the  city  or  the  railroad  company  conceding 
anytliing  as  to  the  construction  of  said  ordinance,  the  railroad  company' 
by  the  acceptance  of  this  ordinance  agrees  that  it  will  at  no  time  and 
in  no  way  make  any  claim  that,  under  the  terms  of  said  ordinance  of 
April  5,  1911,  aforesaid,  any  streets,  alleys  or  highways  are  or  will  be 
vacated  to  any  greater  or  further  extent  than  is  shown  by  yellow  color- 
ing on  the  plats  hereunto  attached  and  marked  "Exhibits  1  and  2  re- 
spectively," and  made  a  part  of  this  ordinance,  which  property,  shown  by 
yellow  coloring  on  said  plats,  is  more  particularly  described  as  follows: 

(Here  follows  a  detailed  description  of  the  portion  of  each  street 
and  alley  referred  to  above.) 
15 


The  City  of  Chicago  does  not,  by  the  passage  by  the  City  Council 
of  this  ordinance,  admit  that,  under  the  terms  of  said  ordinance  of  April 
5,  1911,  the  streets,  alleys  and  highways  colored  in  yellow  on  said  plats, 
marked  respectively  'Exhibits  1  and  2'  are  or  will  be  vacated." 

The  provisions  suggested  in  the  resolution  of  the  Railway  Terminal 
Commission  were  incorporated  in  an  ordinance  which  was  passed  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  City  Council  held  July  15,  1915. 


16 


THE  BALTIMORE   &   OHIO   CHICAGO  TERMINAL 
RAILROAD  CO. 

Ordinance  authorizing  and  permitting  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chicago 
Terminal  Railroad  Company  to  lay  down,  maintain  and  operate  addi- 
tional tracks  and  requiring  it  to  elevate  the  plane  of  certain  of  its  road- 
bed and  tracks  within  the  city  of  Chicago. 

This  ordinance  was  referred  U>  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  bv 
the  Local  Industries  Committee,  December  1,  1914. 

.'\t  the  time  this  ordinance  was  introduced,  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Ter- 
minal Railroad  Company  owned  a  block  of  property  adjacent  to  the  north 
line  of  Twelfth  Street  and  abutting  on  the  west  side  of  the  Chicago  River 
on  which  there  was  located  coach  yard  and  engine  terminal  facilities  in  con- 
nection with  the  passenger  terminal  of  this  railroad  at  South  Wells  Street 
and  Harrison  Street. 

In  order  for  the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Railway  Company 
to  carry  out  its  program  of  improvements  in  connection  with  the  new  Union 
Station,  an  option  was  secured  from  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Terminal  Rail- 
road Company  for  the  block  of  property  referred  to  above,  and  before  this 
property  could  be  released  it  was  necessary  for  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chi- 
cago Terminal  Railroad  Company  to  locate  coach  yard  and  engine  facili- 
ties at  some  other  place. 

To  meet  this  situation  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad 
Company  planned  to  create  coach  yard  facilities  on  the  block  fronting  on 
West  Fourteenth  Street  between  Wood  Street  and  Lincoln  Street,  and  also 
planned  to  erect  engine  house  facilities  on  the  block  immediately  west 
thereof. 

At  the  time  this  ordinance  was  introduced  the  tracks  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company  were  on  an  elevated  roadway 
extending  from  the  western  part  of  the  city  to  Union  Avenue  (one  block 
east  of  Halsted  Street),  from  which  point  these  tracks  descended  to  the 
street  level  at  South  Jefferson  .Street. 

The  ordinance  provided  for  the  widening  of  this  elevated  roadway  to 
carry  six  continuous  tracks  from  the  coach  yard  to  the  Chicago  River,  and 
at  Robey  Street  an  increased  length  of  subway  in  order  to  make  possible  a 
yard  development,  which — in  connection  with  the  existing  subway  in  Robey 
Street  under  the  Northwestern-Burlington  tracks — would  result  in  a  con- 
tinuous subway  of  more   than  a  half  mile. 

The  objections  to  this  ordinance  were:  that  these  tracks  would  be  in- 
creasing the  width  of  the  railway  barrier  extending  parallel  with  Sixteenth 
Street;  the  investment  in  the  widened  elevated  roadway  would  be  an  added 
factor  in  the  ultimate  solution  of  the  railway  terminal  problem  and  that  the 
extending  of  these  additional  tracks  east  of  Union  Avenue  at  grade  would 
create  an  additional  complication  at  Sixteenth  and  Canal  Streets,  where  the 
City  and  the  railroads  are  already  confronted  with  a  serious  problem  in 
w^orking  out  a  satisfactory  grade  separation  scheme. 

17 


On  the  other  hand  it  was  necessary  to  the  operation  of  this  railroad 
that  it  be  permitted  to  create  the  coach  yard  and  eng^ine  terminal  facilities 
provided  for  in  its  ordinance  and  that  it  should  have  adequate  running-  tracks 
between  this  coach  yard  and  its  passenger  terminal. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  in  giving  consideration  to  this  sub- 
ject became  convinced  that  the  total  number  of  tracks  asked  for  in  the  ordi- 
nance were  not  required  at  this  time  for  the  adequate  operation  of  this 
railroad  property  and  that  the  existing  complication  at  Sixteenth  and  Canal 
Streets  should  not  be  increased. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company  should  also  in  this  ordi- 
nance agree  to  provisions  for  the  straightening  of  the  Chicago  River. 

The  Commission  gave  consideration  to  this  ordinance  for  several  months 
and  at  different  times  had  conferences  with  the  executive  heads  of  the 
railroad  company.  At  several  of  these  conferences  there  were  also  present 
the  executive  heads  of  other  railroads  doing  business  in  Chicago  and  the 
whole  problem  of  the  solution  of  the  railway  terminal  situation  was  ver\ 
thoroughly  discussed. 

As  a  result  of  these  various  conferences  the  ofificials  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company  agreed  to  accept  an  ordinance 
which  would  contain  the  river  straightening  clause;  provide  for  a  reduced 
number  of  tracks  and  a  development  of  their  coach  yard  and  terminal  facili- 
ties along  lines  requiring  much  shorter  subways  at  Lincoln  Street  and  Robey 
Street  than  contemplated  in  the  ordinance  originally. 

On  January  26,  1915,  the  Commission  reported  to  the  Local  Industries 
Committee  as  follows: 

"Alderman  .Mbert  J.  Fisher,  Chairman,  and   Members  of  the  Committee  on 
Local  Industries  of  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago. 

Gentlemen  : 

In  reference  to  the  ordinance  authorizing  and  permitting  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company  to  lay  down,  maintain  and 
operate  additional  tracks,  and  requiring  it  to  elevate  the  plane  of  certain  of 
its  roadbed  and  tracks  within  the  Citv  of  Chicago,  which  ordinance  was. 
on  December  1,  1914,  referred  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  with 
the  request  that  the  said  Railway  Terminal  Commission  consider  said  ordi- 
nance and  report  its  findings ;  also,  proposed  amendments  or  remommenda- 
tions,  if  any,  to  the  Committee  on  Local  Industries. 

I  have  been  instructed  hv  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  to  report 
to  your  Committee  that,  after  serious  consideration  of  this  ordinance  and 
several  conferences  with  the  President  and  other  officials  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company — at  which  conferences  general 
discussions  were  held  relative  to  the  fundamental  principles  which  the  Com- 
mission believes  should  govern  any  permanent  solution  of  the  railway  ter- 
minal situation  and  the  effect  which  this  ordinance  would  have  on  the  final 
carrying  out  of  these  principles — the  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  ordinance  referred  to  will  not  substantially  interfere  with  the  ultimate 
solution  of  the  terminal  problem,  provided  the  ordinance  is  so  amended  that 
the  permission   and  grants  contained   therein   shall   not   extend   to   territory 

18 


east  of  the  east  line  of  Union  Avenue,  and  that  Section  I\'  of  said  ordinance 
providing  for  tlie  construction  of  subways  shall  be  amended  by  striking  out 
therefrom  the  words  "South  Robey  Street';  and  that  Section  l\'-a  be  amended 
so  as  to  exclude  therefrom  reference  to  the  subway  at  South  Robey  Street, 
and  that  the  extension  to  other  subways  provided  in  such  section  be  amended 
so  as  to  conform  with  the  attached  schedule. 

The  Commission  would  also  recommend  that  provision  be  made  in  the 
ordinance  providing  that  the  Railroad  maintain  retaining  walls  substantially 
to  the  full  height  of  said  elevation  along  the  entire  length  of  the  improve- 
ment provided  for  in   this  ordinance. 

Very  trul)'  yours, 

(Signed)     JOHN  F.  WALLACE, 
JFW:  H  Chairman.  Chicago  Railway  Terminal  Commission." 

The  ordinance  embodying  these  recommendations  was  reported  by  the 
Local  Industries  Committee  and  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  of  the  City  Coun- 
cil, February  19,  1915. 

The  improvements  provided  for  in  this  ordinance  and  which  have  already 
been  constructed  are  shown  on  Plate  No.  12. 

The  property  north  of  Twelfth  Street  vacated  by  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Chicago  Terminal  Railroad  Company  has  been  taken  over  by  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company  and  is  being  improved  in  connection  with  the  general  de- 
velopment by  this  company  shown  on  Plate  No.  9. 


19 


PROPOSED  SANTA  FE  FRUIT  TERMINAL. 

On  June  1,  1915,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company 
through  its  president,  E.  P.  Ripley,  presented  an  ordinance  providing  for 
the  vacation  of  certain  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  Twenty-second  Street  and 
Archer  Avenue,  and  also  a  communication  stating  that  it  was  the  intention 
of  the  railway  company  to  establish  at  this  location  facilities  for  the  handling 
and  distribution  of  fruit  and  vegetables  arriving  in  cars,  these  facilities  to 
be  open  to  the  general  shipping  public  and  be  made  available  to  other  carriers. 

This  ordinance  was  referred  to  the  Local  Industries  Committee  and 
later  submitted  by  this  Committee  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission. 

The  Commission  had  previously — at  the  request  of  the  Municipal  Mar- 
kets Commission^given  consideration  to  the  general  question  of  fruit  and 
produce  terminals  and  markets,  and  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  its 
province  was  not  so  much  to  suggest  any  particular  location  for  a  fruit  and 
produce  market  or  terminal  but  rather  to  determine  if  any  suggested  location 
would  be  in  harmony  with  a  proper  solution  of  the  passenger  and  freight 
terminal  problem. 

The  ordinance  as  originally  presented  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Com- 
mission was  a  simple  vacation  ordinance — carrying  with  it  no  provisions  re- 
garding the  establishment  or  operation  of  a  fruit  terminal.  It  was  therefore 
necessary  for  the  Commission  to  outline  the  provisions  that  an  ordinance  of 
this  character  should  contain  and  to  have  the  railway  company  submit  an 
amended  ordinance  as  a  basis  for  consideration. 

The  Commission  also  had  conferences  with  merchants  engaged  in  the 
fruit  and  produce  business  in  Chicago  regarding  the  establishing  of  such 
fruit  and  produce  terminal  and  the  efifect  which  this  terminal  might  have 
on  their  business. 

The  Commission — through  its  stafif  and  with  the  co-operation  of  most 
of  the  railroads — collected  statistics  giving  the  volume  of  fruit  and  produce 
traffic  of  the  city.  On  account  of  records  being  unavailable  certain  of  the 
railroads  were  unable  to  furnish  all  of  the  information  desired.  However, 
sufficient  data  was  collected  to  enable  the  Commission  to  form  an  approxi- 
mate estimate  of  the  total  volume  of  this  traffic. 

The  Commission  also  secured  from  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company  a 
suggested  track  and  building  layout  for  this  terminal  and  worked  out  alter- 
native plans — both  for  track  arrangement  and  street  traffic  provisions — that 
would  fit  in  with  any  future  railroad  or  street  development  in  connection  with 
tlie  straightening  of  the  Chicago  River. 

In  connection  with  the  street  vacations  contemplated  by  this  ordinance 
the  Commission  desired  to  determine  a  proper  location  for  a  north  and 
south  street,  through  this  territory,  that  would  be  in  harmony  with  any 
street  plan  adopted  in  connection  with  the  river  straightening.  Purple 
Street — proposed  to  be  vacated — was  not  in  the  proper  location  for  such 
north  and  south  street  and  it  was  finally  decided  that  the  most  feasible 
arrangement — both  iov  the  city  and  the  railroad — would  be  to  provide  for 

20 


the  widening  of  Blackwell  Street,  sufficient  to  carry  the  traffic  of  two  streets 
north  of  Eighteenth  Street — which  might  be  concentrated  in  this  street — 
and  to  provide  that  such  widening  be  so  arranged  as  to  not  interfere  with 
the  present  arrangement  of  tracks  serving  the  Fairbanks  property  on  the 
east  side  of  Blackwell  Street  between  Eighteenth  Street  and  Twentieth 
Street. 

As  Eighteenth  Street — with  which  this  north  and  south  street  would 
connect — is  on  viaduct  and  the  railroad  tracks  crossing  under  this  viaduct 
would  cross  diagonally  from  northeast  to  southwest  over  the  proposed 
widened  Blackwell  Street,  it  became  necessary  to  provide  that  at  least  a 
portion  of  this  widened  street  be  carried  on  viaduct.  It  was  finally  decided 
that  the  viaduct  should  extend  southerly  from  Eighteenth  Street  to  such  a 
point  as  would  permit  of  the  approach  to  said  viaduct  reaching  the  surface 
at  or  about  the  north  line  of  Twentieth  Street. 

The  Commission  did  not  attempt  to  decide  questions  of  policy  with 
regard  to  this  ordinance  but  endeavored  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  I^ocal 
Industries  Committee  such  information  as  would  enable  the  committee  to 
frame  an  ordinance  satisfactory  to  the  city. 

After  having  decided  on  questions  of  street  openings  and  street  widening 
the  Commission  reported  to  the  Local  Industries  Committee  as  follows: 

"December  14,  1916. 
Alderman  James  H.  Lawley,  Chairman,  and  Members  of  the  Sub-Committee 
of  the  Local  Industries  Committee,  City  Hall,  Chicago. 

Gentlemen : 

In  re  Santa  Fe  Fruit  Terminal  Ordinance. 

Acting  under  instructions  from  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission,  I  am 
transmitting  herewith  the  following  papers : 

"a"  Original  ordinance  submitted  to  the  Commission  by  your  Sub- 
Committee  ; 

"b"  Substitute  ordinance  prepared  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company, 
to  which  is  attached  the  comments  and  recommendations  of  the 
Commission ; 

"c"  A  modification  of  the  substitute  ordinance  made  by  the  Santa  Fe 
Railway  Company  to  meet  certain  of  the  recommendations  of  the 
Commission.  (This  ordinance  was  received  by  the  Commission 
today,  consequently  the  Commission  could  not  give  same  considera- 
tion without  delaying  its  report.  It  is  transmitted  herewith  for 
any  assistance  it  may  be  in  your  preparation  of  the  final  ordinance.) 

"d"  A  communication  from  Mr.  Brode  B.  Davis,  attorney  for  the  N.  K. 
Fairbanks  Company.  (This  communication  was  written  by  Mr. 
Davis  at  the  request  of  the  Commission,  after  he  had  had  an  op- 
portunity to  examine  a  tentative  draft  of  the  proposed  report  by 
the  Commission  on  this  subject.) 

"e"  Copy  of  a  drawing  prepared  by  the  staff  of  the  Commission,  show- 
ing in  perspective  the  proposed  viaduct  and  approach  on  Blackwell 
Street,  and  also  showing  how  the  east  55  feet  of  the  street  could 
be  improved  with  a  level  viaduct  in  a  manner  that  would  give  the 
N.  K.  Fairbanks  Company  access  to  Blackwell  Street  for  the  entire 
distance  between  18th  Street  and  20th  Street,  without  interfering 
with  the  use  of  the  space  underneath  for  switch  track  purposes. 
21 


The  Commission  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  development  of  the  property 
now  owned  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company  west 
of  Blackwell  Street,  by  placing  thereon  the  proposed  fruit  terminal,  will  not 
interfere  with  the  solution  of  the  railway  terminal  situation,  and  is  further 
of  the  opinion  that  the  City  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  the  opening  of  the 
new  north  and  south  street  provided  for  in  the  ordinance  and  bv  the  con- 
struction and  operati(jn  of  the  proposed  fruit  terminal :  the  ordinance,  how- 
ever, should  contain  adequate  provision  binding  the  Railway  Company  to 
the  erection  and  operation  of  such  terminal. 

The  Commission  has  given  exhaustive  consideration  to  all  phases  of  this 
subject,  and  in  transmitting  the  attached  papers  believes  it  is  placing  vour 
Committee  in  position  to  prepare  an  ordinance  that — while  safeguarding 
the  interests  of  the  city — will  be  acceptable  to  the  parties  at  interest.  The 
members  of  the  Commission  are  ready  to  go  before  your  Committee  at  any 
time — should  you  so  elect — for  a  further  consideration  of  the  subject,  but  do 
not  believe  that  further  consideration  by  the  Commission  as  a  body  should 
be  necessary. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

(Signed)     EDWARD  J.  NOONAN, 
EJN  :H  Secretary  Railway  Terminal  Commission." 

During  the  period  that  his  matter  was  under  consideration  by  the  Com- 
mission a  model  was  constructed  by  the  Staff  of  the  Commission  which 
showed  graphically  the  improvements  contemplated  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
territory  and  also  in  relation  to  possible  improvements  in  connection  with 
the  straightening  of  the  Chicago  River  and  the  developments  contemplated 
in  connection  with  the  Illinois  Central-Lake  Front  improvements. 

This  model  was  submitted  to  the  Local  Industries  Committee  and 
greatly  facilitated  the  consideration  given  this  subject  by  this  Committee. 

After  a  number  of  meetings  the  Local  Industries  Committee  completed 
a  draft  of  an  ordinance  as  shown  in  Pamphlet  No.  718,  which  ordinance  was 
referred  to  the  Compensation  Committee. 

The  ordinance  together  with  the  report  ot  the  Compensation  Committee 
came  up  for  consideration  before  the  City  Council  April  4,  1917,  and  an 
amendment  was  offered  providing  for  an  electrification  program  to  be  adopted 
by  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company,  and  the  whole  matter  was  then  referred 
to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee. 

See  Plate  No.  14. 


22 


ILLINOIS  CENTRAL-LAKE  FRONT  ORDINANCE. 

The  South  Park  Commissioners — acting  under  the  general  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois  and  under  the  special  provisions  of  an  act  approved  May 
4,  1903,  May  2,  1907,  May  25,  1911,  and  June  11,  1912,  respectively— in  an 
agreement  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Compan\ ,  dated  March  30, 
1912,  and  a  supplemental  agreement  dated  June  26,  1912,  fixed  the  eastern 
boundary  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  property  between  Grant  Park 
and  Fifty-first  street,  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  in  turn 
relinquished  to  the  South  Park  Board  its  riparian  rights  along  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  between  the  boundaries  noted  above. 

The  agreements,  among  other  things,  provided  that  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company — under  certain  conditions— would  remove  its  existing 
passenger  station  fronting  on  Twelfth  Street. 

In  order  to  make  these  agreements  practically  efTectivc,  it  was  necessary 
to  secure  from  the  Secretary  of  War  a  permit  to  fill  in  land  now  submerged 
along  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  between  the  boundaries  noted  in  the 
preceding  paragraph. 

The  Secretary  of  War  had  indicated  that  the  passage  of  appropriate  ordi- 
nances by  the  City  Council — providing  among  other  things,  for  a  Harbor 
District  within  the  limits  covered  by  these  agreements — would  be  considered 
a  condition  precedent  to  the  approval  by  the  War  Department  of  the  plans 
of  the  South  Park  Commissioners. 

The  Railway  Terminal  Commission  in  its  report  of  March  29.  191. '^. 
commenting  on  this  matter,  stated  as  follows  : 

"Should  the  City,  the  South  Park  Commissioners  and  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  come  to  an  agreement  under  which  the  City  Council 
would  pass  ordinances  protecting  the  city  and  making  possible  the 
carrying  out  of  the  agreements  referred  to,  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road would  come  into  possession  of  lands  which,  in  addition  to  their 
present  holdings,  would  give  it  an  unusual  site  for  passenger  terminals." 

-Vcting  under  suggestion  from  the  War  Department,  as  noted  above, 
the  City  Council  Committee  on  Harbors,  Wharves  and  Bridges,  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  1914,  commenced  a  series  of  hearings  for  the  purpose  of 
framing  an  ordinance  establishing  Harbor  District  Number  Three — extend- 
ing from  Sixteenth  Street  to  Thirty-first  Street — and  providing  for  access 
thereto  over  the  lands  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company.  Members 
of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  attended  a  number  of  these  hearings 
and  took  part  in  the  discussion. 

The  President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  at  the  request  of 
the  Committee,  attended  several  meetings,  discussed  the  general  question  of 
Lake  Front  and  Harbor  Development  in  connection  with  contemplated  im- 
provements by  this  Railroad  and  stated  that  plans  covering  the  proposed 
development  of  the  railroad  property  were  not  completed  and  could  not  be 
submitted  to  the  Committee.  The  Committee  felt  that  it  could  not  wait 
on  the  completion  of  these  plans  and  therefore  inserted  in  the  ordinance  a 
clause  providing  that   the  Illinois  Central   Railroad   could   not   make  use  of 

23 


any  of  the  property  obtained  throuf^h  the  agreement  with  the  South  Park 
Conitnissioners  until  plans  for  the  utilization  of  such  property  had  been 
approved  by  the  City  Council. 

In  January,  1916,  the  Committee  on  Harbors,  Wharves  and  Bridges 
completed  its  drafts  of  the  ordinance  and  transmitted  a  copy  to  the  Illinois 
Centra!   Railroad   Company. 

On  January  14,  1916,  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  of  the  City 
Council  referred  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission — for  a  preliminary 
survey  and  a  recommendation  as  to  the  best  method  of  procedure — a  resolu- 
tion directing  the  Committee  directly  and  through  the  Railway  Terminal 
Commission  to  take  up  for  consideration  the  entire  question  of  the  reloca- 
tion of  the  terminals  of  tlie  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

On  February  23,  1916,  Mr.  C.  H.  Markham,  President  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Harbors,  Wharves  and  Bridges  with  reference  to  the  ordinance 
prepared  by  that  Committee.  In  this  letter,  Mr.  Markham — after  setting 
forth  reasons  why  he  thought  he  could  not,  in  behalf  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  accept  the  ordinance  as  drawn — made  the  following 
alternative  suggestions : 

"(\)  Believing  tht  the  Ciey  is  already  well  equipped  with  all  of  the 
power  necessary  to  safeguard  the  public  interest,  the  proposed  ordi- 
nance ought  to  be  restricted  in  its  relationship  to  this  Compan\ 
to  only  those  things  which  are  necessary  to  obtain  permit  from  the 
Secretary  of  War  for  the  filling  in  of  the  submerged  lands.  This 
would  enable  the  City  and  the  South  Park  Commission  to  proceed 
with  the  work  and  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  is  willing 
to  co-operate  to  the  extent  that  it  will  not  be  crippled  or  hampered 
in  its  own  operation  or  interfered  with  in  the  performance  of  the 
service  to  the  pulilic  which  it  is  obligated  b}-  its  charter  to  perform. 

(2)  If  this  is  not  satisfactory,  we  would  suggest  that  the  ordinance 
be  deferred  until  such  a  time  as  this  Company's  plans  for  its  ter- 
minals have  been  developed  to  such  an  extent  as  will  enable  us  to 
come  before  you  with  an  intelligent  plan  of  our  requirements  for 
the  construction  of  the  terminal.  We  are  now  preparing  these 
plans  and  it  will  only  be  a  few  months  before  they  will  have  been 
developed  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to  do  this." 

On  March  7,  1916,  the  Railwa}-  Terminal  Commission  instructed  the 
chairman  to  address  the  following  letter  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  : 

"March  7,  1916. 
.\lderman  Ellis  Geiger,  Chairman,  and   Members  of  the  City   Council   Com- 
mittee on  Railway  Terminals,  City  Hall,  Chicago. 
Cicntlemen  : 

.\t  a  meeting  of  the  Council  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals,  held 
January  14,  1916,  there  was  referred  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission 
for  preliminary  survey  and  recommendation  as  to  the  best  method  of  pro- 
cedure on  the  following  matters : 

".•\.  A  resolution  (referred  to  the  Committee  January  10,  1916)  directing 
the   Committee   directly   and   through    the   Chicago   Terminal    Com- 

24 


mission  to  take  up  for  consideration  the  entire  (|nestion  of  the  re- 
location of  the  terminal  of  the  Illinois  Central   Railroad  Company. 

B.  A  copy  of  an  order,  passed  by  the  City  Council  December  10,  1915, 
directing  the  Committee  on  Railway  Terminals  to  take  up  with  the 
Illinois  Central  Company  the  development  of  additional  terminal 
facilities  to  the  end  that  adequate  terminal  facilities  shall  be  pro- 
vided and  a  rate  of  fare  established  not  to  exceed  ten  cents  within 
the  city  limits." 

I  desire  to  report  that  the  Commission  has  given  consideration  to  these 
matters  and  that  at  the  request  of  the  Commission.  Mr.  Walter  Fisher, 
Alderman  Ellis  Geiger  and  myself  had  an  interview  with  President  Mark- 
ham  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  with  reference  to  these  matters  in  which 
the  subject  of  the  re-location  of  the  Illinois  Central  passenger  station,  elec- 
trification of  the  Illinois  Central  tracks  and  the  questif)n  as  to  the  rate  of 
fare  for  suburban  service  were  taken  up  and  discussed  very  much  in  detail. 

President  Markham  has  promised  to  submit  tentative  plans  for  such 
terminal  developments  as  speedily  as  possible  and  present  them  for  con- 
sideration. 

Meanwhile,  the  staff  of  the  Commission  has  been  giving  attention  to  this 
subject,  so  that  the  Committee  may  have  the  benelit  of  this  preliminary  stiuix' 
in  advance  of  plans  being  presented  by  the  Railroad  Company. 

As  having  a  bearing  on  this  subject  matter,  I  am  submitting  herewith 
copy  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Markham  addressed  to  Alderman  Littler,  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Harbors,  Wharves  and  Bridges. 

Very   truly  yours, 

J.  F.  WALLACE, 

JFW:H  Chairman." 

While  the  plans  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  were  being 
prepared,  the  Commission  and  its  staff  conferred  with  officials  of  the  Railroad 
Company  and  the  staff  of  the  Commission  made  alternative  studies  of  differ- 
ent features  included  in  the  plans,  and  also  constructed  a  model  which  cm- 
bodied  the  station  plans  of  the  Railroad  Company  and  also  showed  the  area 
between  Fourteenth  Street  and  Twenty-second  Street  from  Canal  Street  tt) 
the  Lake,  with  all  railroads  and  buildings  correctly  shown  thereon,  together 
with  tentative  plans  for  railroad  grade  separation  within  this  territory.  On 
this  model  was  also  shown  the  proposed  plan  of  the  Railroad  Company  for  an 
additional  approach  to  the  station  from  the  west  south  of  Eighteenth  Street. 

Before  this  model  could  be  constructed,  it  was  necessary  to  work  out 
detail  plans,  take  photographs  of  the  area  in  order  to  get  the  building  develop- 
ment, and  consult  various  sources  of  information. 

On  September  20,  1916,  Mr.  Baldwin,  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee, 
presented  plans  which  showed  a  possible  development  of  the  property  of  the 
Railroad  Company,  but  did  not  submit  any  ordinance  or  proposition  which 
could  be  used  as  a  basis  of  consideration  b}-  the  Committee.  The  Committee 
therefore  requested  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  to  present,  in  the 
form  of  an  ordinance  or  resolution,  the  action  which  the  Railroad  Company 
desired  from  the  City  and  also  to  submit  alternative  plans  showing  an  initial 
development  sufificient  for  the  railroads  now  using  the  Illinois  Central  Station 

25 


and   how   such    initial   development   would   form   part  of   the   comprehensive 
development  shown  in  the  plan  submitted  at  this  meeting. 

Durinff  October  and  November  the  Commission  had  several  conferences 
with  the  ofilicials  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company-  in  reference  to  the 
terms  of  the  ordinance  being  prepared  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, particularly  in  regard  to  the  question  of  electrification,  and  the  Com- 
mission advised  the  officials  of  the  Railroad  Company  that,  in  its  opinion, 
no  ordinance  would  receive  consideration  by  the  city  that  did  not  provide  for 
the  electrification  of  at  least  the  suburban  service  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad. 

On  December  14,  1916,  Mr.  C.  H.  Markham,  President  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal 
Commission  and  submitted  a  copy  of  a  jjroposed  ordinance  covering  the  im- 
provements on  the  Lake  Front  and  providing  for  the  new  station  at  Twelfth 
Street,  and  advised  the  Commission  that  it  was  his  intention  to  submit  this 
ordinance  to  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  in  the  near  future. 

This  ordinance  was  submitted  at   a   meeting  of  the   Railway   Terminal 

Committee    held    December   29,    1916,    by    Mr.    Baldwin,    and    contained    the 

following  provisions : 

The  suburban  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  to 
be  electrified  within  five  years  after  work  on  the  proposed  improvement 
was  started ; 

A  new  route  of  entrance  to  the  proposed  station  extending  north  of 
and  parallel  with  Archer  Avenue  from  Stewart  Avenue  to  State  Street 
thence  parallel  and  south  of  Eighteenth  Street  to  the  right  of  way  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad — this  line  of  railroad  to  be  elevated  in  accord- 
ance with  the  usual  track  elevation  provisions,  stipulating  the  location 
and  kind  of  subways ; 

The  establishment  of  Harbor  District  Number  Three,  substantially 
as  contained  in  the  ordinance  prepared  by  the  Committee  on  Harbors, 
Wharves  and  Bridges ; 

For  the  location,  grades  and  elevations  of  proposed  viaducts  for 
access  across  the  tracks  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  to  the  proposed 
Harbor  District  and  the  Lake  Front  Improvement ; 

For  the  concurrence  by  the  city  in  the  contracts  between  the  Rail- 
road Company  and  the  South  Park  Board  and  in  the  application  to  the 
War  Department  for  permission  to  fill  in  submerged  land ; 

For  sub-surface  use  of  a  portion  of  Grant  Park — sui)ject  to  approval 
by  the  South  Park  Board — for  the  purpose  of  rearranging  the  entrance 
to  the  suburban  station  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  located  north 
of  Randolph  Street ; 

For  the  use  of  the  sub-surface  of  Grant  Park  from  Adams  Street 
to  Randolph  Street  for  the  purpose  of  operating  a  terminal  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  possible  use  of  the  same  area  for  city  transportation  sub- 
ways and  access  from  Twelfth  Street  to  this  terminal  under  Grant  Park; 

Permission  for  the  filling  in  of  certain  slips  along  the  Chicago  River; 

For  the  extension  of  the  life  of  existing  franchises  covering  the  oper- 
ation of  the  Blue  Island  Branch,  the  South  Chicago  Branch  and  the 
Kensington  and  Eastern  Branch  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

26 


Considerable  discussit)n  was  held  on  tiie  o-.diiiaiicc,  i)rirticularl)-  with 
reference  to  electrification,  the  extension  of  the  electrification  provision  to 
cover  other  branches  of  the  service,  and  the  effect  snch  electrification  would 
have  on  the  bringing  of  other  railroads  into  this  tcrniinal. 

A  motion  was  finally  passed  bv  the  Cfmimiltec  rciiuesting  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company  to  submit  an  ordinance  containing  provisions  for 
complete  electrification  within  a  reasonable  length   of  time. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  January  16,  1917. 
the  proposed  Ordinance  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  was  under  considera- 
tion. The  question  of  electrification  and  other  phases  of  the  Ordinance  were 
generally  discussed  with  Mr.  Markham  and  Mr.  Baldwin,  after  which  the 
Commission  adopted  the  following  resolution  : 

"RESOLVED :  That  the  Chicago  Railway  Terminal  Commission 
sees  no  reason  why  the  Ordinance  to  establish  Harbor  District  Number 
Three  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  to  provide  for  adjustment  of  certain 
matters  between  the  South  Park  Commissioners,  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  and  the  City,  should  not  provide  for  the  electrifica- 
tion of  the  suburban  service  of  said  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company 
within  five  }  ears  from  the  date  of  the  passage  of  said  Ordinance,  and  the 
complete  electrification  of  all  branches  of  the  service  of  said  railroad  in 
the  City  of  Chicago,  within  ten  years  from  the  passage  of  said  Ordi- 
nance." 

On  January  17,  1917,  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Com- 
mittee, at  which  Mr.  Markham  explained  the  improvements  contemplated  in 
connection  with  the  proposed  ordinance,  which  may  be  summarized  as  fol- 
lows : 

The  complete  relocation  of  the  suburban  tracks  and  the  segregation 
of  these  tracks  to  the  westerly  side  of  the  right  of  way  for  a  distance  of 
about  eight  miles ; 

The  construction  of  a  subwa\  for  this  service  under  its  proposed 
passenger  terminal ; 

The  reconstruction  of  all  of  the  stations  and  waiting-rooms  used  in 
connection  with  this  service ; 

The  reconstruction  of  the  signal  service ; 

The  complete  electrification  of  about  one  hundred   miles  of  track; 

The  purchase  of  entirely  new  suburban  passenger  equipment ; 

The  depressing  of  all  tracks  between  Thirty-first  Street  and  Forty- 
seventh  Street ; 

Easements  for  street  crossings; 

The  construction  of  a  new  passenger  terminal  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  approximately  fifteen  million  dollars ; 

The  reduction  in  the  number  of  engines  operating  on  the  Lake  Front 
through  electrification  of  suburban  service  and  a  proposed  southerly 
connection  with  the  St.  Charles  Air  Line. 

Mr.  Markham  also  explained  that  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  had 
perpetual  running  rights  over  the  tracks  of  the  Illinois  Central  from  Kensing- 
ton and  owned  and  operated  its  own  freight  terminal  at  South  Water  Street 
and  that  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Comi)any  had  no  authority   to  agree 

27 


to  an  electrification  jMogram  that  would  include  the  operations  of  the  Michi- 
gan Central  Railroad.  In  his  opinion,  a  [)ro^;rani  for  complete  electrification 
would  render  it  more  difficult  for  the  Company  to  secure  other  railroad  com- 
panies as  tenants  for  the  proposed  station  and  without  additional  tenants  the 
full  benefits  of  tlie  settlement  and  agreement  with  the  South  I'ark  Board 
could  not  be  obtained. 

Later  in  the  meeting,  Mr.  Wallace,  presented  the  resolution  of  the  Rail- 
way Terminal  Commission  with  reference  to  electrification  and  explained  U' 
the  Committee  some  of  the  factors  which  influenced  the  Commission  in  ado])t 
ing  this  resolution.  Mr.  Wallace  called  the  attention  of  the  Committee  to  the 
fact  that  the  Commission  had  previously  recommended  that  anv  ordinance 
granted  the  Illinois  Central  should  contain  provisions  for  the  electrification 
of  at  least  its  sulnnban  service  and  had  at  various  meetings  impressed  upon 
the  President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  the  necessity  of  pro- 
viding for  the  electrification  of  at  least  the  suburban  service  of  this  railroad. 

However,  this  was  before  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  sub- 
mitted its  ordinance  and  was  predicated  on  the  idea  that  such  ordinance 
would  be  limited  in  its  character  and  sufficient  to  protect  the  city  in  case  the 
city  should  join  with  the  South  Park  Commissioners  in  an  application  to  the 
War  Department  for  a  permit  to  fill  in  the  Lake  Front. 

When  the  Commission  had  an  opportunity  to  consider  the  ordinance 
submitted  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  it  was  seen  that  this 
ordinance  was  of  much  broader  scope  than  the  Commission  had  expected  and 
if  passed — in  the  form  submitted — would  make  it  unnecessary  for  this  rail- 
road to  come  to  the  city  fi)r  additional  legislation  for  many  jears. 

The  Commission  was  aware  of  an  increasing  public  sentiment  in  favor 
of  smoke  abatement,  looking  toward  the  electrification  of  railroads  in  Chicago 
and  that  this  sentiment  was  so  deep  founded  that  it  would  eventually  result 
in  gradual  electrification  substantially  in  the  manner  in  which  track  elevation 
was  brought  about. 

The  Commission  was  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  city  should  not  at 
this  time  grant  privileges  to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  which 
would  make  the  company  practically  independent  of  the  city  for  many  years 
and  take  away  from  the  city  its  power  for  demanding  in  contract  ordinances 
the  electrification  of  all  of  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  held  February  6,  1917, 
the  resolution  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Commission  pertaining  to  the  elec- 
trification of  the  Illinois  Cetitral  Railroad  was  formally  adopted  and  the 
Railway  Terminal  Commission  by  motion,  was  requested  to  present  to  the 
Committee  at  its  next  meeting  a  statement  of  such  matters  of  general  policy 
as  in  the  opinion  of  the  Commission  would  arise  in  connection  with  the 
preparation  and  consideration  of  the  Illinois  Central  ordinance. 

.\t  a  meeting  of  the  Railwa\'  Terminal  Commission  held  March  6,  1917, 
the  Commission  gave  consideration  to  the  request  of  the  Railway  Terminal 
Committee  noted  above  and  instructed  the  Chairman  to  submit  the  following 
statement : 

28 


"The  Commission  had  always  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  primal 
requisite  to  a  consideration  of  this  Illinois  Central  ordinance  was  an 
understanding  as  to  what  the  Conunittee  would  require  in  the  way  of 
provision  for  electrification,  and  it  is  tliought  that  when  the  scope  of  the 
ordinance  as  pertaining  to  electrification  is  definitely  decidetl  upon,  the 
other  provisions  of  the  ordinance  can  be  readily  determined. 

The  Commission  has  already  transmitted  to  the  Committee  a  resolu- 
tion in  regard  to  the  electrification  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  tracks 
and  the  Committee,  by  a  formal  action  has  concurred  in  this  resolution. 

The  Commission  in  this  resolution  stated  that  it  saw  no  reason  whv 
the  ordinance  tinder  consideration  should  not  provide  for  the  electrifica- 
tion of  the  suburban  services  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  within  five 
years,  and  complete  electrification  of  both  the  passenger  and  freight 
service  within  ten  years,  but  in  the  discussion  before  the  Committee,  it 
was  made  plain  that  the  question  as  to  time  at  which  this  electrification 
should  be  brought  about  was  open  for  discussion.  It  may  develop  from 
future  discussions  that  some  interval  of  time  other  than  ten  >  ears  might 
be  agreed  upon  as  being  more  reasonable. 

The  Committee  may  also  be  willing — as  a  matter  of  compromise — 
to  enter  into  a  discussion  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  as  to  the 
proprietv  of  excluding  from  the  electrification  provisions  of  this  ordi- 
nance, the  Western  Lines  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  particularly  as 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  secures  entrance  to  its  station  from  the  West 
over  the  St.  Charles  Air  Line,  of  which  property  it  owns  only  a  one- 
fourth  interest,  and  the  Illinois  Central  might  be  unable  to  agree  to  the 
electrification  of  a  property  of  which  it  is  not  the  sole  owner. 

The  Commission,  however,  is  not  recommending  that  the  cit\  take 
the  initiative  in  offering  such  a  proposition  to  the  Illinois  Central. 

The  consideration  of  other  matters  pertaining  to  this  proposed  ordi- 
nance can  well  be  deferred  until  a  satisfactory  agreement  is  reached  per- 
taining to  electrification.  For  the  information  of  the  Committee,  how- 
ever, the  following  subjects  are  outlined  as  being  the  more  important 
features  of  the  ordinance  and  on  which  the  Committee  will  e\entualh- 
have  to  make  decision. 

Eighteenth  Street  Connection. 

The  question  as  to  the  Eighteenth  Street  connection  is  one  of  the 
matters  which  will  have  to  be  settled  by  the  Committee.  The  Commis- 
sion is  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  inadvisable  for  the  city  to  permit 
of  the  construction  of  this  18th  Street  connection  if  the  present  St. 
Charles  Air  Line  is  to  be  maintained. 

The  Commission  is  not  convinced  that  tlie  four  tracks  of  the  St. 
Charles  Air  Line  are  not  sufficient  to  take  care  of  all  of  the  traffic  which 
would  come  into  the  new  station  from  the  West,  particularly  if  the 
switching  to  and  from  industries  located  along  this  line  is  restricted  to 
such  hours  as  will  not  interfere  with  the  main  line  movements  to  and 
from  the  station. 

The  Commission  appreciates  that  the  Illinois  Central  would  nnich 
prefer  to  have  its  independent  connection  into  its  station,  but  if  it  is 
proven  impossible  for  the  Illinois  Central  to  make  arrangements  with  the 
other  companies  of  the  St.  Charles  Air  Line  in  regard  to  bringing  pro- 
spective tenants  over  this  line,  it  would  be  much  more  desirable  for  the 
Illinois  Central  to  secure  additional  right  of  way  adjacent  to  the  Air  Line 
on  which  to  place  independent  tracks  than  to  build  ;in  independent  con- 
nection at  18th  Street. 
29 


Or,  if  this  is  proven  not  feasible,  it  might  be  possible  to  work  out  an 
arrangement  by  which  the  traffic  of  the  Air  Line  could  be  diverted  to  the 
18tli  Street  connection  and  the  Air  Line  discontinued,  but  in  such  an 
event  there  would  be  quite  a  serious  question  arise  as  to  furnisliing 
trackage  facilities  to  the  industries  now  located  along  the  Air  Line. 

Viaduct  Cost. 

In  regard  to  the  question  as  to  who  should  bear  the  expense  of  the 

construction   of   the   proposed    viaducts   across    the    Illinois    Central    for 

"  access  to  the   Lake   Front  and  as  to  the  nature   and   location   of   these 

viaducts,  the  Commission  feels  that  this  is  a  matter  for  the  Committee 

to  work  out  in  conference  with  the  Illinois  Central. 

The  Commission  can  advise  with  the  Committee  on  the  above  ques- 
tion, but  in  the  final  analysis  it  is  a  matter  that  the  Committee  itself 
will  decide. 

Depression  of  Tracks. 

In  regard  to  the  depression  of  the  Illinois  Central  tracks,  the  Com- 
mission believes  that  the  tracks  should  be  kept  as  low  as  possible,  so  as 
to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  obstruction  of  access  to  the  Lake  Front,  and 
so  that  the  approaches  to  the  viaducts  crossing  the  tracks  will  cause  as 
little  damage  to  abutting  property  as  possible. 

Where  this  depressed  track  level  will  connect  with  the  existing 
elevated  right  of  way  South  of  51st  Street  will  present  a  separate  problem 
that  will  have  to  be  worked  out  in  detail. 

Other  Matters. 

Other  matters  to  which  the  Committee  will  have  to  give  considera- 
tion in  its  discussion  of  the  proposed  ordinance  are  the  application  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  for  rights  under  Grant  Park  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  suburban  terminal  and  also  the  question  as  to  the  extension  of 
existing  franchises  on  some  of  the  branch  lines  of  this  railroad.  It 
would  be  useless  at  this  time  to  advise  the  Committee  as  to  the  proper 
treatment  of  these  suggestions,  as  such  treatment  will  be  largely  affected 
by  other  considerations  growing  out  of  the  consideration  of  the  entire 
ordinance." 

During  the  months  of  March,  April  and  May  there  were  a  number  of 
meetings  between  the  members  of  the  Commission  and  representatives  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  the  staff  of  the  Commission  devoted  consider- 
able time  to  working  out  a  number  of  matters  in  connection  with  the  pro- 
posed Illinois  Central  Railroad  Development. 

.lune  l.'i,  1917.  On  June  15,  1917,  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  referred  to  the  Com- 

mission the  Ordinance  submitted  some  months  before  by  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  During  June,  July,  August  and  September,  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  meetings  of  the  Commission  on  the  Illinois  Central  matter  and  the 
members  of  the  Commission  individually  had  conferences  with  representa- 
tives of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  The  staff  of  the  Commission  at  this 
time  was  occupied  with  an  analysis  of  the  provision  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Ordinance  and  in  preparation  of  studies  covering  special  features  of  same. 

During  the  month  of  October,  1917,  a  number  of  meetings  of  the  Com- 
mission were  held  at  which  there  were  present  representatives  of  the  Illinois 

30 


Central  Railroad  Compain-.  In  these  meetings  the  Ordinance  submitted  by 
the  Railroad  Company  was  gone  over  in  detail.  At  the  conclusion  of  these 
meetings  the  representatives  of  the  Railroad  Company  were  requested  to 
prepare  a  re-draft  of  the  Ordinance  incorporating  suggestions  brought  out  in 
the  meetings  referred  to  above. 

During  November  and  December  of  1917,  the  members  of  the  Commis- 
sion or  its  staff  were  in  almost  continuous  conference  with  representatives  of 
the  Railroad  Company  in  preparation  of  a  re-draft  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Ordinance. 

During  January  and  February,  1918,  conferences  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  officials  were  continued.  On  January  15th,  a  report  was  made  to  the 
Railway  Terminal  Committee  outlining  the  progress  being  made  in  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Illinois  Central  Ordinance. 


braary  18,  1918.  On  February  18,  1918,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Commission,  it  was  decided 

that  counsel  for  the  Commission  should  prepare  an  Ordinance  covering  the 
proposed  Illinois  Central  Lake  Front  Improvement  including  provisions  for 
electrification  in  several  progressive  stages. 

During  March,  April,  May  and  June  the  staff'  of  the  Commission  together 
with  representatives  of  the  Corporation  Counsel's  office  and  members  of  the 
Commission,  were  in  almost  continuous  consultation  with  reference  to  pro- 
visions to  be  embodied  in  an  Ordinance  and  working  out  the  details  of  the 
physical  plans,  grades,  viaduct  crossings,  etc. 


ly  10.  1918. 


)cember  10,  1918. 


nnary  17,  1919. 


On  July  10,  1918,  the  Commission  reported  to  the  Railway  Terminal 
Committee  that  Mr.  Markham,  President  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company,  had  become  associated  with  the  Federal  Railroad  Administration, 
and  that  the  president  succeeding  Mr.  Markham  had  requested  that  further 
negotiations  be  deferred  until  fall  so  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  to 
become  more  familiar  with  the  subject. 

During  the  next  few  months  progress  was  made  in  working  out  the 
details  of  the  Ordinance  in  informal  conferences  with  reiiresentativcs  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Commission  held  December  10,  1918,  an  Ordinance 
"marked  draft  of  December  7,  1918"  was  .submitted  to  a  sub-committee  of 
the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  which  had  been  previously  appointed  to 
give  special  consideration  to  the  Illinois  Central  Lake  I'ront  Ordinance. 

During  the  month  of  January,  1919,  several  joint  meetings  of  the  Com- 
mission and  the  Sub-committee  of  the  Railway  Terminal  Committee  were 
held,  and  on  January  17,  1919,  Mr.  Walter  Fisher  was  instructed  to  prepare 
an  opinion  on  the  extension  of  Lake  Street,  South  Water  Street  and  River 
Street,  east  of  Beaubien  Court.  It  was  decided  at  this  meeting  that  consider- 
ation of  the  Illinois  Central  Lake  Front  Ordinance  be  deferred  until  the 
opinion  by  Mr.  Fisher  could  be  prepared. 

31 


May  20,  1919. 


In  the  time  during  which  Mr.  Fisher  was  preparing  his  opinion  a  number 
of  meetings  were  held  in  the  office  of  the  Commission  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
sidering details  of  the  Ordinance  and  at  other  meetings  the  provisions  of  the 
Ordinance  were  explained  to  representatives  of  civic  and  other  organizations. 

On  May  20,  1919,  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Fisher  on  the  stub-end  streets  was 
received  and  active  consideration  of  the  Ordinance  was  again  taken  up. 
There  were  meetings  almost  every  day  in  May  and  ten  meetings  were  held 
in  the  month  of  June.  During  this  period  several  re-drafts  of  the  Ordinance 
were  prepared. 

On  June  26th  the  Ordinance  was  reported  by  the  sub-coniniittee  to  the 
full  Railwa\   Terminal  Committee. 


July  21,  1919. 


During  the  month  of  June  there  were  several  meetings  of  the  Committee 
and  on  July  21,  1919,  the  Ordinance  was  passed  by  the  City  Council. 

During  all  the  time  that  this  Ordinance  was  under  consideration,  that  is, 
from  May  20th  to  its  final  passage  by  the  City  Council,  in  addition  to  the 
meetings  listed  above  there  were  held  numerous  conferences  with  reference 
to  details  of  the  Ordinance,  textual  amendments  and  matters  of  like  kind  so 
that  during  this  interval  the  Commission  either  through  its  own  members  or 
its  stafif  was  occupied  almost  uninterruptedly  b}  work  in  connection  with 
this  Ordinance. 


August  27,  1919. 


On  August  27,  1919,  there  was  a  hearing  held  in  the  United  States  En- 
gineer's office  at  Chicago  with  reference  to  the  provisions  in  the  Illinois 
Central  Lake  Front  Ordinance  for  the  creation  of  Harbor  District  Number 
Three  and  the  reclamation  of  land  for  park  purposes. 

Before  this  meeting  studies  were  made  of  questions  involved  and  a  state- 
ment was  prepared  by  the  Chairman  for  presentation  at  this  hearing.  Later 
an  additional  statement  was  prepared  and  submitted  by  the  Chairman  in 
rebuttal  of  certain  statements  brought  out   in   the  hearing  of  August  27th. 


January  14,  1920. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  City  Council  held  January  14,  1920,  the  Illinois 
Central  Lake  Front  Ordinance  was  amended  by  extending  the  period  of 
acceptance  one  month. 

During  the  last  months  of  1919  the  members  of  the  Commission  had  a 
number  of  conferences  with  the  Chicago  representative  of  the  Chief  of  Engi- 
neers of  the  United  States  Army  with  reference  to  a  permit  from  the  Secretary 
of  War  and  also  had  conferences  with  representatives  of  the  railroad  with 
reference  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Ordinance. 


February  5,  1920. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  City  Council  held  February  5,  1920,  the  acceptance 
clause  in  the  Illinois  Central  Lake  FVont  Ordinance  was  amended  to  cover 
the  question  of  the  approval  of  the  issuance  of  securities  by  Commissions 
created  for  that  purpose.  At  this  same  meeting  of  the  City  Council  the 
Ordinance  was  amended  so  as  to  include  the  ])rovisions  required  by  the  War 
1  )ci)artnient. 

S2 


The  Ordinance  was  accepted  by  the  South  Park  Commissioners  January 
21,  1920,  and  the  amendments  to  the  Ordinance  noted  above  were  accepted 
b\-  the  South  Park  Commissioners  Februar}-  10,  1920.  The  Ordinance  was 
accepted  by  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  and  the  other  Railroad 
Companies  party  thereto  on  February  18,  1920.  The  permit  from  the  Secre- 
tarv  of  A\'ar  was  issued  under  dale  of  Februar\   20,  1920. 


88 


EXHIBIT   I 
PLATES 


Plate 
Number 

Railroad  Route  and  Terminal  Map 1 

Tentative  Route  Map  with  Three  Passenger  'J'erniinal  Stations 2 

Railroad  Facilities — Central  Business  District   3 

Railroad  Occupation  in  Relation  to  Loop  District 4 

Railroad  Areas — Central  Business  District  5 

Location  Railroad  Facilities — Central  Business  District 6 

Perspective  Drawing — West  Side  Terminal  Developnietit 7 

Union  Passenger  Station — Track  Level  8 

Pennsylvania  Freight  House    9 

Burlington  Freight  House   10 

Chicago  &  Alton  Freight  House 11 

B.  &  O.  C.  T.  R.  R.  Coach  Yards  and  Engine  Terminals 12 

Dearborn  Station — Temporary  Facilities   13 

Santa  Fe  Fruit  Terminal 14 

River  Straightening — Location  and  Property  Ownership 15 

River  Straightening — Property  Areas   16 

Central  Business  District — Possible  Street  Openings  and  Reduction  of 

Railroad  Occupation  in  Relation  to  Railroad  Facilities 17 

Railroad  Facilities — Southern  Area 18 

Rearrangement  of  Freight  Facilities — Tentative  Plans — Track  Level  19 
Rearrangement  of  Freight  Facilities — Section  Showing  Air  Right  De- 
velopment      20 

Rearrangement  of  Freight  Facilities — Tentative  Plan — Viaduct  Level  21 


PLATE  NO.  1. 


RAILROAD    ROUTE    AND    TERMINAL    MAP 


Note  lines  of  railroad  approaching  City  from  all 
directions  and  how  these  lines  have  been  con- 
solidated into  groups  as  the  business  center  is 
reached. 


— See  Page   5 — 


PLATE  NO.  2. 


RAILROAD    ROUTE    AND    TERMINAL    MAP 


Showing  the  possibility  of  consolidating  en- 
trance routes  for  passenger  trains  in  connection 
with  the  plan  for  three  terminal  passenger  sta- 
tions. 


—See  Page  8— 


Lvanston 


RAILROAD  ROUTE  AND  TERl-HN^U.  11?? 


AND  VICINITY 

lo  accompany  report  ol   Uiito*©    Kaimay    lermnol   Loi 


Showing  possible  use  of  Illinois  Central  trarks  and 
terminal  for  through  poss«>n^r  traffic  by  railroads  now 
using  Dearborn.  La 5al!e  and  Grand  Central  Stations 


WEST 

SOUTH 

IC  B  B 

ATiSTRv 

B  aO  R  R 

CO  w  R-H 

CCC1.5TI,  BY 

CI  A  L  fiy 

C  iC  R  R 

C  IE.  1  RR 

C  to  RY      (/l-d 

C  PllPH^ 

GTW  RY 

M.CRR 

WYC  RR 

WYCkSTL  RR 

PMRR 

WABA5M   RR 

PLATE  NO.  3. 


CENTRAL    BUSINESS   DISTRICT 

Showing   Railroad  Facilities  Existing  and  Under 
Construction. 


All  the  facilities  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
have  been — or  are  being — reconstructed.  Note 
that  the  facilities  do  not  interfere  with  any  of 
east  and  west  streets  north  of  Roosevelt  Road — 
and  as  part  of  the  reconstruction  program,  new 
viaducts  arc  being  constructed  at  all  of  these 
streets. 

East  of  the  river  all  of  the  railroad  facilities 
are  of  antiquated  type — east  and  west  streets 
are  blocked,  and  Clark  Street  is  the  only  north 
and  south  street  that  extends  through  the  rail- 
road territory  and  this  street  is  narrowed  in 
width  by  encroachment  of  railroad  tracks. 

The  line  of  proposed  river  straightening  is 
shown  by  a  dotted  line — note  the  absence  of  per- 
manent improvements  in  the  line  of  river 
straightening. 


— See  Pages  6  and  11 — 


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CENTRAL    Bl'S!NE?S    DISTRICT 

CHICAGO 

SHCWINO  RAILROAD  TACILITltS 
tXlSTlNG  AND  UNDER  CONSTRUCTION 


PLATE  NO.  4. 


CENTRAL    BUSINESS    DISTRICT 
Railroad  Occupancy 


• 


This  Plate  shows  railroad  occupancy  surround- 
ing the  Central  Business  District — the  property 
of  each  railroad  being  shown  by  distinctive  mark- 
ing. 


-See  Page  5- 


i 


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CHICAGO ,    1 


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Central  Business  District \v 


CDQanannq       CHICAGO 

1^1 H 1  I 1  I 1  L_i  I 1  L  SHOWING    EAILBOAD    OCCUPANCY 


Chicago  Eailwoy  Terminal  Commiaaion 

5CALL 

0        100     «N)     «M     no     CO)     ITMfl 

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PLATE  NO.  5. 


CENTRAL    BUSINESS    DISTRICT 
Showing  Areas   of   Railroad   Occupancy. 


On  Plate  No.  4  was  shown  territory  occupied 
by  each  railroad.  In  this  Plate  (No.  5)  is  shown 
the  area  occupied  by  groups  of  railroads  and 
designated  as  northern  area,  northwestern  area, 
western  area,  southern  area  and  eastern  area. 

The  northern  area  and  the  northwestern  area 
do  not  ofTer  any  serious  obstruction  to  the  free 
flow  of  traffic  to  and  from  the  Central  Business 
District. 

The  railroad  facilities  in  the  western  area  are 
all  being  reconstructed  in  accordance  with  the 
Union  Station  Ordinance. 

The  facilities  in  the  eastern  area  are  to  be 
reconstructed  in  accordance  with  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral-Lake Front  Ordinance. 

The  reconstruction  and  revamping  of  railroad 
facilities  in  the  southern  area,  in  connection  with 
river  straightening,  should  be  undertaken  as  the 
next  logical  step  in  connection  with  the  solution 
of  the  railway  terminal  problem  as  affecting  the 
Central  Business  District. 


— See  Page  7- 


]  ■  ■"  ■ 
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CENTRAL  BUSINESS  DISTRICT 

CHICAGO 

SHOWING    BY  AREAS 
EXTENT   OF  RAILROAD  OCCUPATION 

c, 


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PLATE  NO.  6. 


CENTRAL   BUSINESS    DISTRICT 

Showing    Location   of    Railroad    Buildings,  Team 
Yards  and  Terminals. 


This  is  an  index  map  that  shows  by  number 
reference  the  location  of  each  railroad  building, 
team  yard  and  terminal  in  the  territory  imme- 
diately surrounding  the  business  district. 

Note  the  LaSalle  Street  Station  (No.  5)  at  the 
very  southern  edge  of  the  Loop  District.  Also  the 
row  of  freight  houses  along  Polk  Street  blocking 
the  expansion  of  the  Central  Business  District 
southwai'd. 


-LJ-JL 


JSOO 

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□  □DQOCHODCI  Central  Business  District 

at^^aapac  CHICAGO 

'  rm S        I  I        I  I        I  rl  l        l  r  SHCrwnE  location  or  RAILROAD  BUILDIHGS 

' ^1 " '  ' '  ' '  '^zi  TEAM  VAHUe  AND  TERMINALS 

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■INDEX- 


PASSENGER    TERMINALS 

1  C  R  R       Present  Tchmin/kl 

Proposed  New  Terminal 

r    Suburban   Teouinal 

Oeabborn    Station 

Lasallc      Statio 

Grand  Central   5 

Uniom  Statiom    Proposeo 

C&NW.   Station 

FREIGHT 

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-r^-f-r- 


PLATE  NO. 


PERSPECTIVE  DRAWING 
Railroad   Facilities   West   Side  of   River. 


This  drawing  has  been  made  from  the  construc- 
tion plans  and  shows  how  the  district  will  appear 
when  the  improvements  in  connection  with  the 
Union  Station  Ordinance  are  completed. 

The  "two  level"  type  of  freight  house  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  tracks  disappearing  under  the  build- 
ing— the  Pennsylvania  Freight  House — shown  in 
the  foreground  center.  This  permits  of  a  double 
use  of  the  same  ground  area. 

The  large  building  with  the  flag  on  the  west  side 
of  Canal  Street  has  been  introduced  into  the  pic- 
ture to  show  the  possibility  of  attractive  building 
development  along  the  edge  of  this  terminal  area. 
With  modern  terminal  improvements  the  "shacks" 
and  rundown  buildings  along  the  edges  of  city 
railway  terminals  will  disappear. 


-See  Page  6- 


PLATE  NO.  8. 


THE   UNION    PASSENGER  STATION 
Track   Level  Plan. 


This  drawing  shows  the  track  layout  and  pro- 
posed interior  arrangement  of  the  head  house  and 
concourse  of  the  Union  Passenger  Station  now 
under  construction. 

It  shows  how  the  head  house  is  set  to  one  side 
and  connected  with  the  concourse  by  using  the 
under  surface  of  Canal  Street. 


<  Uls  5    fa 


PLATE  NO.  9. 


PENNSYLVANIA  FREIGHT  HOUSE 
Western  Area. 


This  is  the  first  two-level  type  of  freight 
house  built  in  Chicago.  The  arrangement  of 
tracks  and  platforms  on  one  level  and  the  drive- 
ways and  freight  houses  on  the  level  above  is 
shown  in  the  section.  The  warehouse  development 
above  the  freight  house  is  also  shown. 

The  team  yards,  coach  yards  and  passenger 
engine  terminals  are  also  shown  on  this  drawing. 


—See  Page  6 — 


PLATE  NO.  10. 


BURLINGTON   FREIGHT   HOUSE 
Western  Area. 


I 


This  freight  house  is  under  construction.  It 
is  of  the  two  level  type  but  the  arrangement  of 
the  tracks  is  dilTerent  from  the  Pennsylvania  house 
shown  on  Plate  No.  9.  In  this  plan  the  under 
surface  of  Canal  Street  is  utilized. 


—See  Page  6— 


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PLATE  NO.  11. 


ALTON  FREIGHT  HOUSE 
West  Side  Area. 


This  is  a  two-level  type  freight  house  and  has 
recently  been  completed.  The  arrangement  differs 
somewhat  from  either  the  Pennsylvania  or  Bur- 
lington houses  shown  on  Plates  No.  9  and  No.  10. 

A  portion  of  the  building  is  carried  up  a  number 
of  stories  to  provide  general  office  space. 

The  building  is  divided  in  two  parts  at  the 
street  level  to  permit  of  Harrison  Street  extend- 
ing through  the  development. 

Note  also  the  driveway  extending  from  Polk 
Street  to  Van  Buren  Street. 


-See  Page  6 — 


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PLATE  NO.  12. 


COACH  YARD  AND  ENGINE  HOUSE 
FACILITIES 

B.  &  O.  C.  T.  R.  R. 


A  new  location  was  made  necessary  for  these 
facilities  on  account  of  improvements  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Union  Station  and  the  rearrange- 
ment of  freight  house  facilities  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Company. 

This  map  also  shows  extension  of  subways 
along  portion  of  the  B.  &  O.  C.  T.  R.  R.  right-of- 
way. 


-See  Page  17,  Exhibit  L— 


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PLATE  NO.  13. 


ANNEX   TO   DEARBORN   STATION 


This  Plate  shows  a  temporary  addition  to  the 
Dearborn  Passenger  Station,  referred  to  on  page 
12  of  Exhibit  I. 

It  is  iaiportant  that  no  improvement  of  a  per- 
manent nature  be  undertaken  in  connection  with 
the  facilities  of  any  one  railroad  or  group  of  rail- 
«x)ads  in  the  "southern  area"  unless  such  improve- 
ment is  co-ordinated  with  plans  for  the  complete 
revision  of  all  the  railroad  facilities  in  this  area 
— in  connection  with  river  straightening. 


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Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  PIailroad 

IMMIGRANT    STATION 
annex  to  dearborn  station 


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1921 


PLATE  NO.  14. 


SANTA  FE  FRUIT  TERMINAL 


This  Plate  shows  street  vacations,  street  dedica- 
tions, viaducts  to  be  built,  and  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  development  of  a  fruit  terminal  by 
the  Atchison  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Com- 
pany, under  the  terms  of  an  Ordinance  recom- 
mended in  1917. 


-See  Pages  20-22,  Exhibit  I.- 


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A.T.  &  S.F.  RY. 
Peoposed  Fbuit  Terminal  Development 

SHOWING 

Street  Vacations  and  Dedications 


lo   accompany  report  oi    V^nico6o   jLailway    lerminol  Oi 


'Ommtsston 


SCALE 
100  200  300  400  500  FT. 


PLATE  NO.  15. 


RIVER  STRAIGHTENING 


Showing  the  tentative  line  of  river  straighten- 
ing provided  for  in  the  Union  Station  Ordinance 
and  the  o\vnership  of  property  abutting  thereon. 

This  Plate  shows  the  desirability  of  the  owners 
of  property — all  of  which  are  railroads — agreeing 
on  a  rearrangement  of  property  lines  after  river 
straightening,  or  a  co-operative  development  for 
the  joint  use  of  all  railroads  in  the  territory. 

This  Plate  also  shows  graphically  the  large 
area  that  will  be  transferred  from  the  west  side  to 
the  east  side  of  the  river  through  river  straighten- 
ing. 


-See  Page  11- 


PLATE  NO.  16. 


RIVER  STRAIGHTENING 
Showing  Areas  of  Property  Affected  Thereby. 


This  Plate  shows  the  area  of  each  piece  of 
property  abutting  on  the  proposed  tentative  line 
of  river  straightening,  the  area  in  the  old  channel, 
the  area  in  the  new  channel,  and  combinations  of 
these  figures. 


—See  Page  11— 


PLATE  NO.  17. 


CENTRAL   BUSINESS   DISTRICT 


Showing  possible  street  openings  and  street 
■widenings — colored  red — in  connection  with  river 
straightening. 

This  Plate  also  shows  the  area — colored  yellow 
— now  used  by  railroads  that  could  be  released 
for  commercial  occupation,  provided  passenger 
stations  were  eliminated  and  the  area  between 
Clark  Street  and  the  straightened  river  were  in- 
tensively developed  as  shown  on  Plates  No.  19, 
No.  20,  No.  21. 

The  great  relief  to  traffic  congestion  and  the 
possibility  of  the  southern  expansion  of  this  Cen- 
tral Business  District  through  the  straightening 
of  the  river,  opening  of  streets,  and  reduction  of 
the  area  occupied  by  the  railroads  is  shown  quite 
clearly  on  this  Plate. 

The  new  Illinois  Central-Lake  Front  Station 
and  the  proposed  Eighteenth  Street  connection 
with  this  station  are  also  shown. 


-See  Page  14 — 


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PLATE  NO.  18. 


RAILROAD  FACILITIES  SOUTHERN  AREA 


Showing  the  relationship  which  river  straight- 
ening, the  opening  of  streets— colored  red — and 
the  release  of  railroad  occupation — colored  yellow 
— bears  to  the  existing  freight  facilities  in  the 
area  south  of  the  Central  Business  District. 

This  Plate  shows  the  same  arrangement  as 
Plate  No.  17  but  is  on  an  enlarged  scale  in  order 
to  bring  out  the  existing  railroad  development 
in  this  district. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  at  present  there  is  but 
one  street — Clark  Street — leading  into  the  Central 
Business  District  from  the  south  between  State 
Street  and  the  river.  The  proposed  arrangement 
— shown  on  this  Plate — provides  for  four  addi- 
tional north  and  south  streets  through  this  terri- 
tory, and  in  the  scheme  of  development — see 
Plates  No.  20  and  No.  21 — there  will  be  additional 
driveways  for  the  accommodation  of  freight  house 
traffic. 


-See  Page  14 — 


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PLATE  NO.  m. 


REARRANGEMENT  OF  FREIGHT  FACILITIES 

IN    CONNECTION    WITH    RIVER 

STRAIGHTENING 


Track  Level  Plan. 


This  Plate  represents  a  carefully  studied  plan 
for  the  track  layout  in  the  rearrangement  of  rail- 
road  freight   facilities    in    connection    with    river 

straightening.    It  will  be  noted  that  this  layout  is  ) 

confined  to  the  ai-ca  between  Clark  Street  and  the  *■. 

straightened  river  south  of  Taylor  Street.  North 
of  Taylor  Street  the  layout  is  confined  to  the  ter- 
ritory between  Wells  Sti-eet  and  the  river.  By 
confining  the  railroad  development  to  this  teri'i- 
tory  the  best  arrangement  of  viaducts  and  ap- 
proaches and  double  the  capacity  of  the  existing  ' 
freight  facilities  can  be  secured.                                                                                            | 

The   typical   cross   section   shows   the   arrange- 
ment   of    platforms,    viaducts,    driveways     and  _ 
freight  houses.     This  cross  section  is  shown  en-  ■ 
larged  on  Plate  No.  20.  1 

The  four  lines  of  track  under  Clark  Street  and 
extending  between  LaSalle  Street  and  Sherman 
Street  to  Van  Buren  Street,  indicate  a  possible 
arrangement  for  suburban  trains. 


-See  Page  18- 


I 


TYPICAL  CB0S3  4CCTI0N 


PLATE  NO.  20. 


REARRANGEMENT  OF  FREIGHT  FACILITIES 
AND  THE  COMMERCIAL  DEVELOP- 
MENT  OF   AIR   RIGHTS 


This  Plate  shows  a  typical  cross  section  of  the 
plan  of  development  shown  on  Plate  No.  19.  It  is 
introduced  here  on  a  larger  scale  in  order  to  bring 
out  the  possibilities  of  air  development  for  com- 
mercial purposes  in  connection  with  this  plan. 

On  this  Plate  the  portion  that  would  be  used 
for  railroad  facilities  and  the  jjorlion  that  would 
be  used  for  commercial  purposes  are  shown. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  railroad  facilities  are 
pi-ovided  with  an  independent  driveway  and  there- 
fore it  is  unnecessary  for  these  facilities  to  ex- 
tend to  the  street.  This  gives  the  opportunity  for 
this  commercial  development  to  have  a  frontage 
on  the  City  streets  independent  of  the  railroad. 
Therefore  there  would  be  no  conflict  between  rail- 
road usage  and  commercial  usage.  This  is  an 
important  feature  that  has  not  been  provided  in 
other  two-level  freight  house  developments. 


--See  Pase  18- 


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PLATE  NO.  21. 


REARRANGEMENT  OF  FREIGHT  FACILITIES 

IN    CONNECTION    WITH    RIVER 

STRAIGHTENING. 

Viaduct  Level  Plan. 


This  Plate  should  be  considered  in  connection 
with  Plate  No.  19  which  shows  this  same  scheme 
of  development  at  the  track  level. 

This  Plate  shows  the  new  streets  extending 
through  the  development  and  also  the  freight 
house  driveways  between  these  streets.  The  in- 
tersection of  the  slope  of  the  viaduct  approaches 
v.ith  the  natural  street  level  is  indicated  by  dotted 
lines. 

.\ltcntioi]  is  called  to  the  indicated  "Ramp  to 
Lower  Level"  at  the  intersection  of  Harrison 
Street  with  Franklin  Street.  There  is  an  oppor- 
tui\ity  hers  to  connect  the  viaducts  in  this  freight 
house  district  v/ith  a  low  level  street  for  heavy 
traffic  that  would  extend  along  the  east  bank  of 
ths  river  to  connect  with  the  lower  level  of  the 
proposed  South  Water  Street.  Such  an  arrange- 
ment would  permit  the  detouring  of  traffic  be- 
tween the  several  freight  house  districts  to  this 
heavy  traffic  street  and  avoid  congestion  on  the 
Loop  streets. 


—See  Page  18— 


-x 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS-UBBAN* 


0112  046995004 


